Dismissed ex-employees of Sudan National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) shot in the air in Khartoum on Tuesday in protest at severance terms, prompting a heavy security force deployment and the temporary closure of the country's airspace, Reuters reported.
A witness told Reuters said that the Rapid Response Forces and army had been deployed in Khartoum's main streets and roads were closed after gunmen shot in front of two buildings used by the General Intelligence and Security Service.
Sudan is currently going through a three-year political transition period after the overthrow of President Omar Al-Bashir.
The restructuring of the security establishment was one of the main demands of the protesters who called for for Al-Bashir's departure. The dismissal of those employees was part of the restructuring plan.
The witness said that some security personnel who were masked and wearing military uniforms set up checkpoints in one of Khartoum's main residential streets, where one of the buildings was located and were seen firing in the air.
In a televised statement, Minister of Information Faisal Muhammad Saleh said that the gunmen, whom he confirmed that they are former workers, "rejected the financial compensation approved by the official authorities in exchange for leaving their jobs."
He pointed out that authorities are continuing their efforts to persuade the gunmen to surrender and submit their weapons to the army forces.
The witness said that the security forces blocked the road leading to one of the buildings, where the shooting was reported, which is also located near the capital's airport.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the authorities suspend the country's airspace for five hours as a precaution after the shooting started.
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