Unidentified gunmen arrested several Sudanese leaders early Monday at their homes, a government source told AFP, after weeks of tension between the military and civilian transitional authorities in the East African country.

The internet was cut off throughout the country, AFP journalists noted, while demonstrators gathered in the streets to protest against the arrests, setting fire to tires.

The events come just two days after a Sudanese faction calling for a transfer of power to civilian rule warned of a “creeping coup” at a press conference that a crowd of unidentified people sought to prevent.