Military coup in Sudan as Hamdok, allies taken hostage

By Ruot George

A military coup has been confirmed in Sudan’s Khartoum this afternoon. The military announced a takeover of the government amid fears Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s regime could be a forgone conclusion.

There is full military presence in the streets of Khartoum, the military headquarters remained heavily guarded following the declaration of a state of emergency by the coup plotters. This also means the suspension of the constitution.

Streets in Khartoum were deserted save for isolated incidents where protestors barricaded roads with boulders, lighting bonfires against the insurgence.

Reliable sources also confirmed that the army had taken over the main bridges connecting Khartoum with its twin city of Omdurman, a key strategic location in the military takeover due to its proximity to the military headquarters and the airport.

Unconfirmed reports had it that Prime Minister Hamdok and part of his cabinet members are being held at unknown locations.

Early in the day, Khartoum suffered internet shut down with reports of a looming clash between the protesters and the military in Khartoum,

In September 2021, a failed attempted coup in Sudan was master minded by what authorities believe were supporters of former President Omar Al-bashir who was ousted in a military coup in April 2019, more than 40 military generals suspected to have taken part in the coup were later arrested.

African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called for the immediate release of arrested leaders in Sudan. 

In a statement on Monday, Mahamat said the arrest of political leaders goes against human rights.

The detentions came as tensions peaked between the military and civilian figures who shared power since August 2019 following the ouster of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir months earlier.

Mahamat further called for the immediate resumption of consultations between civilians and the military.

This, he said should be done within the framework of the Political Declaration and the Constitutional Decree.

”The Chairperson reaffirms that dialogue and consensus is the only relevant path to save the country and its democratic transition,” Mahamat said.

Sudan has been undergoing a precarious transition marred by political divisions and power struggles since the April 2019 ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

Since August 2019, the country has been led by a civilian-military administration tasked with overseeing the transition to full civilian rule.

The main civilian bloc — the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) — which led the anti-Bashir protests in 2019, has splintered into two opposing factions.

“The crisis at hand is engineered — and is in the shape of a creeping coup,” mainstream FFC leader Yasser Arman told the Saturday press conference in the capital Khartoum.