KHARTOUM

Security forces on Thursday released a number of detainees in response to demands by angry crowds in Sudan's northeastern Atabra city, according to eyewitnesses.

Sudanese citizens flocked to detention centers in the city, a move prompting security forces to respond by firing tear gas shells in a failed attempt to disperse the masses.

Eyewitnesses from the mass protests told Anadolu Agency that security forces vowed to release remaining detainees after finalizing related official procedures.

Earlier Thursday, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese people flooded the streets in Khartoum and other cities to express their joy as Omar al-Bashir stepped down as president.

Al-Bashir is now under house arrest and his bodyguards have been detained, local media reported.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat