Islamists in Sudan cancel rally over fears of violence

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Islamists in Sudan who were allied with ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir say they have cancelled a planned rally for fear of violence from the protesters who drove him from power earlier this month.

Ultraconservative preacher Abdel-Hay Youssef said in video posted on Facebook that the decision to cancel Monday’s rally came after a meeting with Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known by the nickname Hemedti, who serves as deputy head of the ruling military council.

Youssef says they received assurances from Dagalo and others that “Islamic laws will not be abolished.”

Sudan’s Islamists played a key role in the 1989 coup that brought al-Bashir to power. An Islamist party says protesters attacked one of its meetings over the weekend, wounding dozens in clashes.