Sudan’s top general declared a state of emergency and dissolved the authorities leading country’s democratic transition on Monday, after soldiers detained civilian leaders and killed at least three people and wounded 80 as street protests broke out against the coup.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved the militarycivilian Sovereign Council that had been set up to guide the country to democracy following the April 2019 ouster of autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
General Burhan further announced armed forces needed to protect safety and security while promising to hold elections in July 2023 then hand over to an elected government.
Reportedly youths of the country showed their protestation by barricading streets along with a massive troops.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was detained and taken to an undisclosed location after refusing to issue a statement in support of the takeover, the information ministry said.
The ministry, still loyal to Hamdok, urged resistance and said tens of thousands of people opposed to the takeover had taken to the streets and had faced gunfire near the military headquarters in Khartoum.
Troops had arrested civilian members of the Sovereign Council and government figures, it said, called on Sudanese to oppose the military.
“We raise our voices loudly to reject this coup attempt,” it said in a statement.
In Khartoum’s twin city Omdurman, protesters barricaded streets and chanted in support of civilian rule.
Jonas Horner from the International Crisis Group said “this kind of intervention really puts autocracy back on the menu”.
The power grab by the army was condemned by the international community, with the European Union calling for the “fast release” of the civilian leadership, and the African Union and Arab League also expressing concern.
However UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned Sudan risked returning to oppression.
“It would be disastrous if Sudan goes backwards after finally bringing an end to decades of repressive dictatorship,” Bachelet said. “The country needs to move forward to consolidate democracy.”
Sudan has been ruled for most of its post-colonial history by military leaders who seized power in coups. It had become a pariah to the West and was on the U.S. terrorism blacklist under Bashir, who hosted Osama bin Laden in the 1990s and is wanted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague for war crimes.
The country had been on edge since last month when a failed coup plot, blamed on Bashir supporters, unleashed recriminations between the military and civilians in the transitional cabinet.
In recent weeks a coalition of rebel groups and political parties aligned themselves with the military and called on it to dissolve the civilian government, while cabinet ministers took part in protests against the prospect of military rule.
Sudan has also been suffering an economic crisis. Helped by foreign aid, civilian officials have claimed credit for some tentative signs of stabilisation after a sharp devaluation of the currency and the lifting of fuel subsidies. (Inputs from News Agency)