CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s military seized power Monday, dissolving the transitional government hours after troops arrested the prime minister.

Thousands of people flooded into the streets to protest the coup that threatens the country’s shaky progress toward democracy.

Security forces opened fire on some of the crowds, and three protesters were killed, according to the Sudan Doctors’ Committee, which said 80 people were wounded.

The takeover comes more than two years after protesters forced the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and just weeks before the military was supposed to hand the leadership of the council that runs the country over to civilians.

After the early morning arrests of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other senior officials, thousands poured into the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman. They blocked streets and set fire to tires as security forces used tear gas to disperse them.

As plumes of smoke filled the air, protesters could be heard chanting, “The people are stronger, stronger!” and “Retreat is not an option!” Videos on social media showed large crowds crossing bridges over the Nile to the center of the capital, while the U.S. Embassy warned troops were blocking off parts of the city.

It urged the military “to immediately cease violence.”

Pro-democracy activist Dura Gambo said paramilitary forces chased protesters through some Khartoum neighborhoods. She said sporadic gunshots could be heard in many parts of the capital.