As of: 25.10.2021 7:24 a.m.
In Sudan, the power struggle between the military and the civilian government has apparently escalated again. The military reportedly arrested several government officials. It would be the second attempted coup within a few weeks.
In Sudan there has apparently been another attempted coup from the ranks of the military. At least five leading government officials have been arrested, as local media and several news agencies unanimously report, citing informed circles. The military has not yet issued a statement.
According to the reports, Industry Minister Ibrahim al-Sheikh, Information Minister Hamza Baloul, Mohammed al-Fiky Suliman from the ruling Sovereignty Council and Faisal Mohammed Saleh, media advisor to Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, were arrested. Ayman Khalid, the governor of the capital region of Khartoum, has also been arrested, according to his official Facebook page.
It was initially unclear where Prime Minister Hamdok was staying. Local media reported that his house had been surrounded by security forces.
In addition, the airport in the capital, Khartoum, is said to have been closed and international flights suspended, reported the Dubai-based television station al-Arabiya. The organization NetBlocks also reported extensive Internet outages in the country.
Attempted coup in September failed
The trade union federation SPA, which in 2019 also led the protests against the long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir, who was subsequently deposed, called on people in the country to take to the streets to prevent the military from taking power. “We call on the masses to occupy the streets, to block them with barricades, to go on a general labor strike and not to cooperate with the coup plotters and to do civil disobedience,” said a statement by the SPA.
In the past few weeks tensions between the military and the civilian part of the government had increased. There was already a coup attempt by military officers in September, but it failed.
Protests have been going on for weeks
In Sudan, after the fall of Bashir, a so-called Sovereign Council took over government, in which the military and civilians share power. Since then, the country has been in a fragile transition phase, which is expected to end with the establishment of a civilian government in 2023. 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. There have been protests in the east of the country for weeks. Only last Thursday tens of thousands demonstrated in several cities for the establishment of a civilian government.