WATCH: Protests in key Red Sea city of Port Sudan

In the lead-up to the military take-over in Khartoum, the focal point of increasing tensions had been Port Sudan, the country's main commercial artery, which is owned by the military-controlled Sudan Sea Ports Corporation. Today, there have been protests in the city:

The fate of Sudan is likely tied to regional powers and their local Sudanese allies, all of whom are caught up in a scramble for the Red Sea, one analyst told Middle East Eye recently.

"Watch Port Sudan," he said. "That will tell you who is in control."