Another attempted coup in Sudan: Prime Minister Hamdok arrested

Another attempted coup in Sudan: Prime Minister Hamdok arrested

The Ministry of Information announced on Monday that Hamdok had previously refused to support the soldiers’ “coup”. He was taken to an “unknown place”. Other government leaders had previously been arrested.

“After refusing to support the coup, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was arrested by an army unit and taken to an undisclosed location,” the ministry said. The arrests took place in the homes of government officials, government circles said on Monday.

Internet and telephone network should be blocked

According to the Ministry of Information, internet services have been disrupted across the country and major roads and bridges connecting with the capital, Khartoum, have been closed. According to the British organization Netblocks, which documents Internet blocks worldwide, the cellular network and parts of the fixed network have also been disrupted since the early hours of the morning.

Broadcasting patriotic songs on state television

State television began broadcasting patriotic songs. The union confederation Association of Professionals called on Twitter in the face of a “coup” for “strong resistance”. Protesters gathered and blocked roads in the capital, Khartoum. According to an eyewitness, it was quiet in the Riyadh residential area in the morning. However, the sky had turned black, said the eyewitness; protesters reportedly burn tires.

Washington: “Deeply Concerned”

Washington was alarmed by the events. “The US is deeply concerned about reports of a military takeover of the transitional government,” said the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, on Twitter. “This would violate the constitutional declaration and the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people.” The constitutional declaration regulates the country’s transition to civil government.

The interim government had already found itself in what Hamdok described as the “worst and most dangerous crisis” since the overthrow of the long-term authoritarian ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Advocates of a civilian government had already warned against a “creeping coup” on Saturday. Hamdok, however, described reports that he had agreed to reshuffle the cabinet as “not applicable”. He also stressed that he did not have the right to decide the fate of the transitional government.

Protests since September

There have been protests in the east of the country for weeks. Protesters have been blocking trade in goods in the seaport of Port Sudan since September. Government supporters accused sympathizers of ex-ruler al-Bashir of orchestrating the protests in Khartoum.

Last week tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets in several cities to support the full transfer of power to the civilian population. Other demonstrators called for a return to “military rule” during a sit-in for several days in front of the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum.

At the end of September, the government in Khartoum reportedly thwarted a coup by supporters of al-Bashir. Since then, the political situation in Sudan has worsened. Protesters are calling for the military to withdraw from the government and for democratic reforms.

Deep political divisions, economic difficulties

Sudan was ruled by Omar al-Bashir for almost 30 years. The long-term ruler was driven out of office in April 2019 by months of mass protests and a military coup. As a result, the military and the civil opposition agreed on a joint transitional government that should pave the way for elections. High inflation, economic difficulties and deep political divisions exacerbate the situation.

In the past few months, the incumbent transitional government had launched a series of economic reforms in order to qualify for debt relief from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In the course of the reforms, among other things, state subsidies for fuel were cut. Other measures also led to a massive loss of confidence in the transitional government.

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