Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has been removed by the country’s military after months of protests against his three-decade rule.

The street protests that erupted in December met a government crackdown that left dozens of people dead and eventually turned the military leadership against al-Bashir. 

The protests involving a mix of young activists, students, professional-employee unions and opposition parties were initially sparked by anger over the deteriorating economy but quickly turned to demands for the president’s removal.

Since taking power in a military coup in 1989, al-Bashir led Sudan through several conflicts and became wanted by an international war crimes tribunal for alleged atrocities in the Darfur region.

He was also the last man to lead a united Sudan, prior to South Sudan’s independence in 2011.