The military in Sudan imposed a state of emergency on the north-east African country. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan also announced the dissolution of the government and the Sovereign Council, which so far led the transition to democracy and which included members of the military as well as civilians.
Burhan, who himself was chairman of the council, justified the action by saying that peace and security in Sudan had been endangered. The military had to act to protect the security of the country. The military will continue the democratic transition until power is handed over to a civilian elected government. He announced an election for July 2023. Until then, an independent government should lead Sudan.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets against the military coup. The protesters defied the barricades of the security forces and headed towards the military headquarters. A dpa reporter reported on site. At least twelve people were injured, said a medical committee on Facebook. Details were not given.
Gunfire could be heard regularly in the capital; Barricades were on fire. The demonstrators demand the withdrawal of the army from the government and democratic reforms.
Prime Minister Abdullah Hamduk, who has so far led a transitional government made up of the military and civilians, was abducted by members of the military to an undisclosed location, according to a message on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Information on Monday morning. Other members of the government have also been arrested by military personnel, according to media reports. The Internet, the cellular network and parts of the landline network are disrupted.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) expressed his dismay at the reports. The attempt of such an overthrow should be “clearly condemned,” he declared in Berlin. He called for the peaceful political transition process in Sudan towards democracy to be continued. An attempted coup must be stopped immediately, the minister demanded. “Those who are politically responsible must resolve their differences of opinion in a peaceful dialogue,” he stressed. “They owe this to the people of Sudan who fought for an end to the dictatorship and for democratic change.”
The EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell and French President Emmanuel Macron called for Hamduk’s release. “The EU is very concerned that Sudan’s armed forces have reportedly placed Prime Minister Hamduk under house arrest,” said a Borrell spokeswoman in Brussels. They urge the quick release of Hamduk and other members of the civilian leadership. Macron wrote on Twitter: “I express our support for the Sudanese transitional government.” One condemns the attempt of a military coup in the strongest possible terms. Macron also wrote that the integrity of Hamduk and the civilian leaders must be preserved.
According to the government, there was already a coup attempt on September 21. Since then, the political situation in Sudan has worsened. For weeks there have been repeated pro-democracy protests. 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.