A parliamentary committee tasked with amending Sudan’s constitution to allow President Omar al-Bashir to run for another term said it would indefinitely postpone a meeting to draft these changes. The president, a former army officer who came to power after a military coup, is facing unprecedented opposition to his rule, with street protests involving hundreds of people almost daily since mid-December over food prices, cash shortages and his 30-year rule. 75-year-old Bashir blamed protests on foreign ‘agents’ and challenged his opponents to seek power through the ballot box. Elections are expected in 2020. Sudan’s authoritarian government is ruled as an Islamic state with limited rights for religious minorities, freedom of speech restrictions, press restraints and multiple church building demolitions. Human Rights Watch reported over 51 deaths in nationwide rallies being subdued by riot police.