Cape Town — The African Union has suspended Sudan's membership until the military hands over power to a civilian-led transitional government.  A tweet from its Peace and Security Council reads:

"The #AU Peace and Security Council has with immediate effect suspended the participation of the Republic of #Sudan in all #AU activities until the effective establishment of a Civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the only way to allow the Sudan to exit from the current crisis.

Sudan has been engulfed in a power crisis with the military since a public uprising led to the fall of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir. Civilian protests have been going on for months calling for the military to hand over to civilian rule. The military who initially proposed a three-year transition period led by the army, this week revised the period down to nine months.

This comes after attempts to disperse civilians sit-in strikes that have paralyzed the country for months led to the death of over a hundred people.