Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday dissolved the transitional government in the country and declared a state of emergency, Al Jazeera reported.
Soldiers in Sudan have arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, most members of his Cabinet and many pro-government leader in a military coup, said the country’s information ministry.
Hamdo was taken to an undisclosed location after he refused to issue a statement in support of the coup.
The information ministry called on the people to resist the coup attempt peacefully and “defend their revolution”. Hamdok’s office also urged people to take to the streets, Al Jazeera reported.
The arrests of Sudan’s prime minister and pro-government leaders came after weeks of tensions between civilian and military leaders of Sudan.
The country was scheduled to go to elections in 2023 as part of its transition to democracy. The military and civilian groups had agreed to share power since the end of Omar al-Bashir’s three decade rule in 2019. Bashir was toppled and jailed after months of street protests.
However, a failed coup attempt in September pitted the conservative Islamists who want a military government against those who toppled al-Bashir in protests. In recent days, both camps have taken to the street in demonstrations, AP reported.
Several Sudanese people took to the streets of capital Khartoum on Monday morning to stage protests against the coup.
Internet services have been snapped in Sudan and the country’s state news channel played patriotic traditional music and scenes of the Nile river, AP reported.
Global reactions
Leaders from across the world have criticised the military takeover in Sudan.
Volker Perthes, UN special representative to Sudan, said he was deeply concerned about the “attempts to undermine Sudan’s political transition”.
“The reported detentions of the prime minister, government officials, and politicians are unacceptable,” Perthes added. “I call on the security forces to immediately release those who have been unlawfully detained or placed under house arrest.”
The foreign policy chief of the European Union, Josep Borrell, said in a tweet that he was watching the events in Sudan with “utmost concern”.
He added, “The EU calls on all stakeholders and regional partners to put back on track the transition process.”
The United States said it was “deeply alarmed” by the coup in Sudan. “This would contravene the Constitutional Declaration and the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people and is utterly unacceptable,” the US Bureau of African Affairs said.
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