Sudan PM detained in military takeover

Sudan’s supporters of the civilian competent of the now-dissolved Sovereign Council have announced civil disobedience and a strike in response to the military takeover, the Ministry of Information said on Facebook.  

The Sudanese Professional Association [SPA], a body that helped organize the 2019 Sudan uprising, denounced the military takeover and denounced an earlier announcement by the army chief, Abdelfattah Al Burhan, where he declared a state of emergency, dissolved the Sovereign Council and government. 

“[Al Burhan’s] reckless decisions will increase the ferocity of the resistance and the unity of the street, after all illusions of partnership are removed and the fig leaf has fallen,” a statement by the SPA said.

“Let us make disobedience a response to al-Burhan’s nonsense, and to break the state of emergency today with crowds and activities,” the statement said.

The United Kingdom has called the coup in Sudan an “unacceptable betrayal of the Sudanese people,” the British government’s Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford, tweeted on Monday.

“Today’s military coup in Sudan is an unacceptable betrayal of the Sudanese people and their democratic transition,” Ford said. 

Ford added security forces must release Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who has been taken to an undisclosed location along with other civilian leaders. 

The White House said the Biden administration is “deeply alarmed” about the coup unfolding in Sudan.

Jean-Pierre called the actions in “stark opposition to the will of the Sudanese people” and reiterated calls for a “democratic transition in Sudan.”

She did not directly address a question as to whether President Biden had been briefed on the matter.

Where things stand in Sudan: As CNN has reported, the country's prime minister has been arrested in a military takeover and taken to an undisclosed location, a senior adviser said. A military officer dissolved Sudan's ruling council and transitional government, and declared a state of emergency across the country.

The coup has been condemned by the United Nations, and the US Embassy in Sudan is advising US citizens “to shelter in place and remain aware of their surroundings” following the coup.

The US Embassy in Sudan is advising US citizens “to shelter in place and remain aware of their surroundings” following a coup in the country

In a security alert posted Monday, the Embassy said it “has received reports that armed forces are blocking certain areas in and around Khartoum” and “internet in Khartoum is non-functional.”

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres condemned the ongoing military coup in Sudan, and called for the release of the prime minister and other officials, he said in a tweet Monday

He said the UN would "continue to stand" with the people of the country.

An aide and office director of Sudan’s now-arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told CNN that the premier was aware of army plans and was under pressure to dissolve the government. 

The adviser, Adam al-Hireika, said that he visited Hamdok on Sunday evening where he discussed the current state-of-affairs. Hamdok had just met with army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who declared the coup on state-TV on Monday. 

“This morning, when I heard about what happened I went to the PM’s residence, he is my boss and friend. I went to his residence unfortunately he wasn’t there. His wife and him were taken to an unknown destination by soldiers,” he added. 

Burhan said in a statement that power-shared council and government were dissolved and declared a state of emergency after a balanced power-sharing agreement with the civilian component “became a conflict” over the past two years, “threatening peace and unity” in Sudan.

“What, General Burhan mentions in his address, actually what most of a lot of it was agreed between the two parties, but as the PM stood very strongly against dissolving the government without a process. I think that was the biggest issue of contention,” Hireika said.

Hireika warned of a civil war in Sudan if there was a return to military rule. 

“Well, I think the bigger picture, a return to military rule will mean more civil war in Sudan and instability in the region as a result,” he added.

Amnesty International has urged the authorities in Sudan "to respect human rights" following the arrest of the country's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other officials in an apparent coup.

Amnesty International "calls on the authorities in Sudan to respect human rights—including the right to life, right to freedom of association, expression and assembly, both offline and on the internet. The right to peaceful protest must be respected, now more than ever."

In a military takeover on Monday morning, Sudan's armed forces dissolved a governing council that included civilians and detained the prime minister and other civilian officials, endangering the country's transition to democracy.

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Sudan Prime Minister's house surrounded and top government officials reportedly arrested

Sudan’s military dissolved its power-sharing government and announced a state of emergency on Monday, after soldiers arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, his wife and other senior civilian officials, throwing the country into the biggest crisis of its two-year-old democratic transition.

The military takeover comes after weeks of deepening political chaos in the country, where military and civilian groups have been sharing power in an uneasy alliance, dubbed the Sovereign Council, since the ouster of former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

The triumphant mood that swept the nation after Bashir’s removal -- ending his brutal three-decade-long rule -- has soured, with tensions over power-sharing boiling over into protests and contributing to instability.

Tensions ratcheted up as politicians, including Hamdok, pushed for a full transition to civilian rule by November 17.

A failed coup attempt in late September, attributed to forces loyal to Bashir, further strained the already shaky coalition.

In the weeks since, military leaders have been demanding reforms to the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition and the replacement of the cabinet. Civilian leaders accused them of a power grab.

Throngs of Sudanese protesters took to the streets last Thursday to demand that the transition agreed after the 2019 pro-democracy movement be honored and an elected government be delivered to the people.