The first reports of deaths emerged from Sudan on Monday in the wake of the military’s move to unseat the civilian government and declare a national state of emergency, following weeks of intense political strife in the East African nation.
The country’s transitional government had been dissolved, army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced in a televised address, saying the takeover was necessary due to the recent “chaos and violence” in Sudan.
The military would pursue the country’s return to democracy and hand over to a civilian government after elections in July 2023, he said.
The Information Ministry had said earlier that Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok had been taken to an unknown location. He had apparently refused to issue a statement of support for the coup and instead called for street protests.
Other members of the government are also said to have been detained, according to broadcaster Al-Hadath and the Sudan Tribune news website.
But there were also reports of popular resistance to the military’s move, with clashes at times becoming deadly. The country’s doctors’ association posted on Facebook that it had recorded at least two deaths and 80 injuries amid the fighting.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Khartoum to protest against the military takeover, a dpa correspondent at the scene reported. Germany’s Foreign Ministry reported that blockades were sprouting along roads and bridges in Khartoum, erected by both the military and the protesters.
The protesters broke through security barricades and headed towards the military’s headquarters in the capital. Another witness said calls to resist the military were aired from a mosque in the city’s Riad district. Demonstrators were throwing rocks and tyres onto a nearby road, said the witness.
Regular gunfire was also heard in the capital, and barricades were set on fire.
Sudan was ruled by former president Omar al-Bashir for almost 30 years until he was forced out of office in April 2019, after months of mass protests and a military coup.
The military and the civilian opposition then agreed on a joint transitional government to pave the way for elections, but it has not been a smooth process.
The Sudanese government previously said it was the target of a coup attempt on September 21. Since then, the political situation in Sudan has worsened.
Nor has the economic situation been easy. Despite billions of dollars of debt being forgiven by other states earlier this year – a step designed to aid the country’s transition to democracy – many people have not seen improvement in their living standards.
The UN reports that food and fuel prices have skyrocketed in recent months, all of which has prompted yet more protests in the country.
But demonstrations have been ongoing for weeks and protesters have also demanded democratic reforms and the withdrawal of the military from the government.
According to the British organization Netblocks, which documents internet outages worldwide, the internet, mobile phone network and parts of the landline network in Sudan have been disrupted since early on Monday.
There were also reports that the military stormed Sudan’s central radio and TV broadcaster – in Omdurman, near Khartoum – and detained employees there.
The United Nations Security Council will meet on Tuesday in response to the day’s events, dpa learned from diplomatic sources.
At the request of the US, Britain, France, Estonia, Ireland and Norway, the 15-member council is expected to hold a closed-door meeting in the afternoon after its delegation returns from a joint visit to the Sahel region.
The US government also said that 700 million dollars that had been earmarked to support Sudan’s transition to democracy would be halted for the time being.
The White House’s called for the military to immediately release all detained political actors, fully restore the civilian-led transitional government and refrain from any violence, a sentiment also expressed by France, the European Union and the United Nations, among others.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called on all sides for “full respect for the constitutional charter to protect the hard-won political transition.”
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of stability and security, noting how necessary it is for Egypt and the region. It called on all parties to prioritize the country’s interests and exercise responsibility and restraint.
