Sudan's intelligence chief resigns after security force's rebellion

The chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council announced the resignation of the chief of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) on Wednesday, a day after a "rebellion" by a security force belonging to the GIS.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made the announcement in an interview with Sudan's official Sudan TV.

"The GIS' Director General Abu-Bakr Hassan Mustafa Dambalab turned in his resignation by phone, and I asked him to bring it to the office," said al-Burhan.

"The resignation is under consideration," he added.

The rebel force also closed the production lines at one of the oil fields in western Sudan, before the situation was contained and the oil field resumed operation on Wednesday, according to al-Burhan.

A day earlier, the headquarters of the GIS' Operations Authority witnessed heavy gunfire, sparking fear among the citizens of central Khartoum.

Last August, then Transitional Military Council in Sudan dissolved the GIS' Operations Authority, where an estimated 13,000 dismissed employees were asked to choose between joining the army or the Rapid Support Forces and being discharged with end-of-service rewards.

The majority opted for the latter, while some have refused to hand over their weapons until getting the rewards.