Workers say Sudan airport temporarily closed amid unrest

Workers told travelers at the airport in Sudan’s capital Tuesday the facility will be closed temporarily amid reports of unrest in the country.

Video posted on social media showed the heavy deployment of security forces in some areas of Khartoum and there were unconfirmed reports of gunfire in one area near a building belonging to the country’s intelligence body.

Sudan is in a transition period after an uprising last summer deposed longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir.

Since then, the country has been led by a transitional government led by technocrat Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and a military council.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, the main organization behind the protest movement that ousted Bashir, urged people to stay indoors until the disturbance was settled.

It said it rejected “any attempt to foment chaos, intimate citizens and deploy weapons,” and demanded immediate state intervention.

The group also reported a sudden blackout of state-run media. It called on all Sudanese and foreigners to steer clear of all military zones “in anticipation of armed clashes that may occur, due to high tensions.”