Soldiers arrested the interim prime minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt SudanAnd Abdullah Hamdok and other authorities cut off the internet and closed bridges in the capital, Khartoum, the country’s Ministry of Information announced on Monday (25), describing the measures as a coup.
– Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan Major General, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council. It declared a state of emergency throughout the country and dissolved its special council and transitional government (led by Hamdok).
The council was formed after the departure of dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for three decades and who was ousted by protests two years ago.
The arrests, the state of emergency, and the dissolution of the council approached the date when Major General Abdel Fattah Burhan had to hand over the leadership of the Sovereignty Council to a civilian.
In response, thousands of people took to the streets of Khartoum and Omdurman to protest the military coup. Demonstrators blocked paths and set tires on fire, while security forces used tear gas to disperse them. (see video below).
Al Arabiya said that A number of people were injured after clashes between demonstrators and soldiers near a barracks in the capital. A local medical committee said at least 12 people were injured in the clashes.
Protesters set tires on fire in a street in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan
Sudan is the third largest country in Africa and has one of the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) in the world (see below).
Intermittent shift and international reaction
As Hamdok’s transfer was not reported, ministers and members of the Sovereignty Council were also arrested. The government had already suffered a coup attempt on September 21.
The military coup represents a major setback for Sudan, which has been in transition to democracy since the departure of dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled between 1989 and 2019.
In a statement, the head of the African Union called for the release of political leaders in Sudan. The United Nations, the United States and the European Union expressed concern about Monday’s events.
Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy for the region, said the US government was “deeply concerned” by the news. Feltman met with Sudanese officials at the weekend to try to resolve the growing political conflict between civilian and military leaders.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, said he was following events in Sudan “with great concern”. Volker Perthes, the UN representative, said the organization was “deeply concerned about reports of an ongoing coup in Sudan.”
Close the airport and hack the TV
Protesters set tires on fire and cordon off a street in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, on October 25, 2021 – Photo: Sudan Monitoring Network / Reuters.
Al Arabiya TV reported the closure of Khartoum airport and the suspension of flights. The internet was cut off in the Sudanese capital.
The Ministry of Information said that soldiers raided the headquarters of a television station in the city of Omdurman, in the capital Khartoum region, and arrested the station’s employees.
The Sudanese Professionals Association, the main group in the protests against dictator Omar al-Bashir, has called for a general strike and civil disobedience against the military coup.
The movement said in a statement, “We call on the masses to take to the streets and occupy them, close all roads with roadblocks, conduct a general strike, not cooperate with the putschists, and use civil disobedience to confront them.”
A demonstrator displays the Sudanese flag near a burning tire barrier during a protest in the capital, Khartoum, on October 21, 2021 – Photo: Mohamed Noureddin Abdullah/Reuters
Sudan is the third largest country in Africa, after Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a population of about 42 million (a population similar to Argentina). Its capital is Khartoum, and the dominant religion is Islam.
In the capital, Khartoum, the Nile Branco and Nile Azul meet and form the Nile Riverwhich continues on its course through Egypt until it drains into the Mediterranean Sea.
The country is located between sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, is bordered by seven countries (Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea) and has an outlet on the Red Sea.
Its Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.510, which is among the lowest in the worldIts gross domestic product (GDP) is $32 billion. The average life expectancy of Sudanese is 65 years, and Nearly a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line.
Until 2011, Sudan was the largest country in Africa and the Arab world, but South Sudan seceded and became independent after a referendum.
Sudan – Photo: g1
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