Turabi and the emergency in Sudan

Sudanese Parliament Speaker Hassan Turabi has described the state of emergency announced by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir as a "coup."

Turabi said in a statement to the AP on Monday in Khartoum that the announcement released by al-Bashir on Sunday evening was a "simple and clear coup, despite the justification presented by al-Bashir for imposing an emergency case as such."

The agency said that al-Bashir was talking at the premises of the ruling National Party amid tough security measures provided by his special guards.

The agency continued that the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, seemed calm on Monday morning and that extra forces are guarding the main governmental building.