Al Jazeera has reported that Sudan's military rulers arrested two brothers of deposed President Omar al-Bashir as hundreds of people marched in the capital, Khartoum, calling for a swift handover of power to civilian leadership. Abdullah and Abbas Hassan al-Bashir were taken into custody as part of a continuing campaign of arrests against "symbols and leaders of the previous regime".

Media reports on April 17, 2019, indicated that Al-Bashir was being held in Kobar prison, in Khartoum. Protesters who are demanding civilian leadership, instead of the transitional military council, are however skeptical about the arrest.

The transitional military council has said they would not hand Al-Bashir over to face justice at the ICC but could try him at home or a forthcoming civilian government could do so. Human Right Watch wants the transitional military council to uphold their commitments to human rights and justice for past crimes by transferring Al-Bashir and other Sudanese fugitives to the International Criminal Court.

The African Union had earlier threatened to suspend the country's membership if they do not return to civilian rule within two weeks. The European Union echoed that it refused to recognize Sudan's military council and called for a return to civilian rule.

Sudan's protests started in December over fuel and food shortages then quickly escalated to massive street protests that have brought to an end Al-Bashir's thirty-year rule.