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A30 world news
Diamars 26 OctOber 2021

Sudan’s military takes power in coup, arrests prime minister

The Biden administration is sus- said he tried unsuccessfully to get the
pending $700 million in emergency generals to stick to the agreed plan.
economic aid to Sudan that had been
allocated to help the transition, said The arrests began a few hours later,
State Department spokesman Ned said the official, who spoke on condi-
Price. He called it a “pause,” and tion of anonymity because he was not
urged the civilian-led government be authorized to brief media. The offi-
immediately restored. cial said the prime minister and the
others were being detained in a mili-
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio tary camp outside Khartoum.
Guterres “strongly condemns the
ongoing military coup d’état in Khar- Perthes said he and Feltman, in par-
toum and all actions that could jeop- allel meetings with political and
ardize Sudan’s political transition and military leaders in recent weeks, had
stability,” said his spokesman, spokes- tried to urge a return to dialogue and
man Stéphane Dujarric. against a coup, which he said would
“squander the achievements of the
Guterres also called for the release of first two years of the transition.”
the government officials, the spokes-
man said, as did the African Union. State Department spokesman Price
EU foreign affairs chief Joseph Bor- said Feltman warned Burhan and oth-
rell tweeted that he was following the ers that any unconstitutional changes
(AP) — Sudan’s military seized del-Fattah Burhan, announced on events with the “utmost concern.” in the government would have con-
power Monday, dissolving the national TV that he was dissolving sequences.
transitional government hours the government and the Sovereign Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. High
after troops arrested the prime Council, a joint military and civilian Commissioner for Human Rights, The military has been emboldened
minister, and thousands flooded body created soon after al-Bashir’s warned that Sudan could slip back- in its dispute with civilian leaders by
the streets to protest the coup that ouster to run the country. ward, urging the military to free the the support of tribal protesters, who
threatened the country’s shaky officials, withdraw from the streets blocked the country’s main Red Sea
progress toward democracy. Burhan said quarrels among political and settle differences with the transi- port for weeks. The two most se-
factions prompted the military inter- tional government through dialogue. nior military officials, Burhan and
Security forces opened fire on some vention. Tensions have been rising for his deputy Gen. Mohammed Ham-
of them, and three protesters were weeks over the course and the pace of Since al-Bashir, who remains in pris- dan Dagalo, also have close ties with
killed, according to the Sudan Doc- the transition to democracy in Sudan, on, was forced from power, Sudan Egypt and the wealthy Gulf nations
tors’ Committee, which also said 80 a nation in Africa linked by language has tried to rid itself of the interna- of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
people were wounded. and culture to the Arab world. tional pariah status it held under the Emirates.
autocrat. The country was removed
The takeover, which drew condem- The general declared a state of emer- from the U.S. list of state supporters The first reports of a possible mili-
nation from the United Nations, gency and said the military will ap- of terrorism in 2020, opening the way tary takeover emerged before dawn,
the United States and the European point a technocratic government to for badly needed foreign loans and and the Information Ministry later
Union, comes more than two years lead the country to elections, set for investment. confirmed them, saying Hamdok and
after protesters forced the ouster of July 2023. But he made clear the mil- several senior government figures
longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir itary will remain in charge. But Sudan has struggled with the had been arrested. Internet access was
and just weeks before the military shock of a number economic reforms widely disrupted and the state news
was supposed to hand the leadership “The Armed Forces will continue called for by international lending in- channel played traditional patriotic
of the council that runs the country completing the democratic transition stitutions. music.
over to civilians. until the handover of the country’s
leadership to a civilian, elected gov- In recent weeks, there have been con- Hamdok’s office denounced the de-
After the early morning arrests of ernment,” he said. He added that the cerns the military might be planning a tentions on Facebook as a “complete
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok constitution would be rewritten and takeover, and in fact there was a failed coup.” It said his wife was also ar-
and other senior officials, thousands a legislative body would be formed coup attempt in September. Tensions rested.
demonstrated in the streets of the with the participation of “young men only rose from there, as the country
capital, Khartoum, and its twin city and women who made this revolu- fractured along old lines, with more Sudan has suffered other coups since
of Omdurman. They blocked streets tion.” conservative Islamists who want a gaining its independence from Brit-
and set fire to tires as security forces military government pitted against ain and Egypt in 1956. Al-Bashir
used tear gas to disperse them. The Information Ministry, still loyal those who toppled al-Bashir in pro- came to power in 1989 in one such
to the dissolved government, called tests. In recent days, both camps have takeover, which removed the coun-
As plumes of smoke rose, protesters his speech an “announcement of a staged demonstrations. try’s last elected government.
could be heard chanting, “The people seizure of power by military coup.”
are stronger, stronger!” and “Retreat Amid the standoff, the generals have Among those detained were senior
is not an option!” Social media video As darkness fell in Khartoum, bar- called repeatedly for dissolving Ham- government figures and political
showed crowds crossing bridges over ricades were still burning and occa- dok’s transitional government — and leaders, including the information
the Nile to the center of the capi- sional gunshots could be heard, said Burhan, who leads the ruling Sover- and industry ministers, a media ad-
tal. The U.S. Embassy warned that Volker Perthes, the U.N. special en- eign Council, said frequently the mil- viser to Hamdok and the governor
troops were blocking parts of the city voy for Sudan, at a briefing in New itary would only relinquish power to of the state that includes the capital,
and urged the military “to immedi- York. an elected government, an indication according to the senior military offi-
ately cease violence.” the generals might not stick to the cial and another official. Both spoke
White House spokesperson Karine plan to hand leadership of the body on condition of anonymity because
Pro-democracy activist Dura Gam- Jean-Pierre said the U.S. was “deeply to a civilian sometime in November. they were not authorized to brief the
bo said paramilitary forces chased alarmed at reports of a military take- The council is the ultimate decision- media.
protesters through some Khartoum over” and called for the immediate maker, though the Hamdok govern-
neighborhoods. release of the prime minister and ment is tasked with running Sudan’s After news of the arrests spread, the
other officials. day-to-day affairs. main pro-democracy group and two
Records from a Khartoum hospital political parties appealed to the peo-
obtained by The Associated Press “The actions today are in stark op- As part of efforts to resolve the crisis, ple to take to the streets. The Com-
showed some people admitted with position to the will of the Sudanese Jeffrey Feltman, the U.S. special en- munist Party urged workers to pro-
gunshot wounds. people and their aspirations for peace, voy to the Horn of Africa, met with test what it described as a “full mili-
liberty and justice,” Jean-Pierre said. Sudanese officials over the weekend, tary coup” orchestrated by Burhan.
The head of the military, Gen. Ab- and a senior Sudanese military official