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Prime Minister arrested, internet cut off in shock military coup

Sudan's military has seized power, dissolving the transitional government hours after troops arrested prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and other senior officials.

Thousands of people flooded into the streets of Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman, to protest the coup on Monday (local time) that threatens the country's shaky progress toward democracy.

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.

At least three people have been killed and 80 injured, Reuters reports

A Sudanese protester draped with the national flag flashes the victory sign next to burning tyres during a demonstration in the capital Khartoum, on October 25, 2021. Source: Getty
A Sudanese protester draped with the national flag flashes the victory sign next to burning tyres during a demonstration in the capital Khartoum, on October 25, 2021. Source: Getty

At least two dozen people were wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces on Monday according to hospital documents obtained by The Associated Press.

In the afternoon, the head of the military, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, announced on national TV that he was dissolving the government and the Sovereign Council, a joint military and civilian body created soon after al-Bashir's ouster to run the country.

Burhan said quarrels among political factions prompted the military to intervene. Tensions have been rising for weeks over the course and the pace of the transition to democracy in Sudan, a nation in Africa linked by language and culture to the Arab world.

Sudanese security forces keep watch as they protect a military hospital and government offices after the military declared a state of emergency. Source: Getty
Sudanese security forces keep watch as they protect a military hospital and government offices after the military declared a state of emergency. Source: Getty

Military to keep power, General says

The general declared a state of emergency and said the military will appoint a technocratic government to lead the country to elections, set for July 2023. But he made clear the military will remain in charge.

He added that the country's constitution would be rewritten and a legislative body would be formed with the participation of "young men and women who made this revolution."

The Information Ministry, still loyal to the dissolved government, called his speech an "announcement of a seizure of power by military coup."

Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, said Washington was "deeply alarmed" by Monday's developments, while EU foreign affairs chief Joseph Borrell tweeted that he was following them with the "utmost concern."

The UN political mission to Sudan called the detentions of government officials "unacceptable," and the African Union called for their release.

The United Nations Secretary-General also condemned the coup, saying the UN stands with the people of Sudan.

Coup derails fragile development for Sudan

Since al-Bashir, who remains in prison, was forced from power, Sudan has worked to slowly rid itself the international pariah status it held under the autocrat. The country was removed from the United States' state supporter of terror list in 2020, opening the door for badly needed foreign loans and investment.

But Sudan's economy has struggled with the shock of a number economic reforms called for by international lending institutions.

In recent weeks, there have been concerns that the military might be planning a take over, and there was a failed coup attempt in September. Tensions only rose from there, as the country fractured along old lines, with more conservative Islamists who want a military government pitted against those who toppled al-Bashir in protests.

Sudanese carry a man injured during clashes as part of protests against a military coup that overthrew the transition to civilian rule. Source: Getty
Sudanese carry a man injured during clashes as part of protests against a military coup that overthrew the transition to civilian rule. Source: Getty

Amid the standoff, the generals have called repeatedly for dissolving Hamdok's transitional government - and Burhan, who leads the ruling Sovereign Council, said frequently that the military would only hand over power to an elected government, an indication that the generals might not stick to the plan to hand leadership of the body to a civilian sometime in November.

The council is the ultimate decision maker, though the Hamdok's government is tasked with running Sudan's day-to-day affairs.

As part of efforts to resolve the crisis, Feltman met with Sudanese officials over the weekend and tried unsuccessfully during his visit to get the generals to stick to the agreed plan, a senior military official said.

The arrests began a few hours later, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief media.

Sudanese protesters march in 60th Street in the capital Khartoum, to denounce overnight detentions by the army of members of Sudan's government. Source: Getty
Sudanese protesters march in 60th Street in the capital Khartoum, to denounce overnight detentions by the army of members of Sudan's government. Source: Getty

Internet disrupted, state news plays traditional music

The first reports of a possible military takeover emerged before dawn, and the Information Ministry confirmed them hours later, saying Hamdok and several senior government figures had been arrested and their whereabouts were unknown. Internet access was widely disrupted and the country's state news channel played patriotic traditional music.

Hamdok's office denounced the detentions on Facebook as a "complete coup." It said his wife was also arrested.

Sudan has suffered other coups since it gained its independence from Britain and Egypt in 1956. Al-Bashir came to power in 1989 in one such takeover, which removed the country's last elected government.

Among those detained Monday were senior government figures and political leaders, including the information and industry ministers, a media adviser to Hamdok and the governor of the state that includes the capital, according to the senior military official and another official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to share the information with the media.

Associated Press

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