Sudanese security forces launched sweeping arrests of anti-coup protesters Wednesday, in a bid to end three days of demonstrations against a military takeover that has sparked widespread international condemnation.
Armed forces deployed in large numbers after overnight protests saw clashes in the capital Khartoum, with security officers firing tear gas and arresting several leading pro-democracy activists, including from Sudan’s largest political party, the Umma Party.
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Since top General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday ordered the dissolution of the government and declared a state of emergency, thousands of citizens have maintained protests, chanting “No to military rule”.
Shops have remained closed following calls for a campaign of civil disobedience, as pro-democracy movements ratcheted up calls for “million-strong protests” on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Burhan allowed home Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok — who was detained by the military Monday along with his ministers and civilian members of Sudan’s ruling council — following intense international pressure.
But Hamdok and his wife were returned “under close surveillance,” his office said Tuesday, while other ministers and civilian leaders remain under full military arrest.
In a joint statement, diplomats from the US, UK and Norway — the grouping previously involved in mediating Sudanese conflicts known as “The Troika” — as well as the European Union and Switzerland, called for an urgent face-to-face meeting with Hamdok.
‘We continue to recognise the Prime Minister and his cabinet as the constitutional leaders of the transitional government,’ the statement read.
The coup comes after a rocky two-year transition outlined in an August 2019 power-sharing deal between military and civilians after the ouster of autocrat Omar al-Bashir on the back of mass protests against his rule.
Monday’s coup was the latest in one of the world’s most underdeveloped countries, which has experienced only rare democratic interludes since independence in 1956.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK