Sudan Crisis: Coup triggers deadly unrest
Angry Sudanese stood their ground yesterday in street protests against a coup, as international condemnation of the military's takeover poured in ahead of a UN Security Council meeting.
"No to military rule", "The revolution will go on" and "Returning to the past is not an option", they chanted, a day after the armed forces seized power and reportedly shot dead at least seven people.
On Monday soldiers detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, his ministers and civilian members of Sudan's ruling council, who have been heading a transition to full civilian rule following the 2019 overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
The subsequent declaration of a state of emergency and dissolution of the government provoked an immediate international backlash with the United States, a key backer of Sudan's transition, strongly condemning the military's actions and suspending millions of dollars in aid.
The UN demanded Hamdok's "immediate release", while diplomats in New York told AFP the Security Council was expected to meet to discuss the crisis.
Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan defended the army's seizure of power yesterday, saying he had ousted the government of Hamdok to avoid civil war.
Speaking at his first news conference since he announced the takeover on Monday, Burhan accused politicians of incitement against the armed forces. He said Hamdok was confined in his own home and had not been harmed.
Burhan also said the military's action did not amount to a coup, as the army was trying to rectify the path of the political transition.
Meanwhile, Sudan's ambassadors to Belgium, France and Switzerland announced their defection yesterday.
They condemned the coup and declared their diplomatic missions as "embassies of the Sudanese people and their revolution", according to the information ministry.
Despite the previous day's deadly violence, protesters remained on the streets of Khartoum overnight and into yesterday.
Shops around the capital were shuttered following calls for a campaign of civil disobedience.
"We will only leave when the civilian government is restored," said 32-year-old demonstrator Hisham al-Amin.
'LIVE BULLETS'
Clashes erupted in Khartoum after Burhan's speech on Monday.
Internet services were cut across the country and roads into Khartoum were shut, before soldiers stormed the state broadcaster in the capital's twin city of Omdurman. A Reuters witness said phone and internet services were severely limited.
Banks and cash machines were shut yesterday, and mobile phone apps widely used for money transfers could not be accessed.
Demonstrators blocked streets with burning tyres and bricks, and marched waving the Sudanese flag and chanting anti-coup slogans.
The information ministry said soldiers "fired live bullets on protesters... outside the army headquarters". At least 140 people were injured in clashes between soldiers and street protesters, a health ministry official said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over the reported use of live ammunition against protesters.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said US officials had been unable to contact the detained prime minister. The United States has suspended $700 million in aid.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the detention of the civilian leaders was "unlawful" and condemned "the ongoing military coup d'etat".
The European Union, African Union and Arab League also expressed concern.
Comments