Khartoum — Thousands of Sudanese protesters were camped outside army headquarters for a fifth day on Wednesday demanding President Omar Al-Bashir step down, after the police ordered their forces not to intervene.

In what has become the biggest challenge yet to Bashir’s three decades of rule, crowds of demonstrators thronged the sprawling complex through the night, singing and dancing to the tunes of revolutionary songs, witnesses said.

Hundreds of mobile phones were held aloft, shining a sea of lights on the tide of people massed outside the buildings.

“The night passed peacefully without any incident,” said one protester who spent the entire night at the complex.

“We believe that the support from the soldiers on the ground and now the police is definitely growing.”

However, Bashir loyalists have called for a support rally for the president on Thursday, and urged all members of the ruling party to take part.

“The National Congress Party’s executive bureau supports the national dialogue partners’ initiative to organize a gathering to be seen by all the people on Thursday,” the acting chief of Bashir’s ruling party, Ahmed Harun, said in a statement. — AFP

“I call on all members of NCP across the state of Khartoum to participate in this rally.”

The anti-government demonstrators have braved regular volleys of tear gas from members of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service since they began camping at the army headquarters on April 6, protest organizers say.

But for the first time overnight Tuesday they did not face any “threat” from security agents during the night, said the protester who did not want to be named for security reasons.

“The soldiers at the complex are also angry after the attacks of tear gas and are determined to prevent them,” another demonstrator told AFP.

Witnesses said the troops had stationed several vehicles loaded with machine-guns at the gates of the complex, which also houses Bashir’s residence and the defence ministry.

On Tuesday, security agents had to abort bids to disperse the crowds when soldiers fired in the air to counter incoming volleys of tear gas from security agents.

“It seems the police too are now with us,” said the protester. — AFP