In an apparent military coup on Monday, soldiers arrested most of the members of Sudan’s cabinet and a large number of pro-government party leaders, Reuters reports.
Citing unidentified sources, Saudi-owned, Dubai-based Al Hadath said Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok had been placed under house arrest and military forces arrested four cabinet ministers, one civilian member of the ruling Sovereign Council, and several state governors and party leaders.
There was no immediate comment from the military.
The information ministry said “joint military forces” had arrested a number of ministers and civilian members of the ruling Sovereign Council, as well as members of the government, and had taken them to an undisclosed location.
A Reuters witness saw joint forces from the military and from the powerful, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces stationed in the streets in Khartoum.
Sudan has been on edge since a failed coup plot last month unleashed bitter recriminations between military and civilian groups meant to be sharing power following the 2019 ouster of former leader Omar al-Bashir.
Bashir was toppled and jailed after months of street protests. A political transition agreed after his ouster has seen Sudan emerge from its isolation under three decades of rule by Bashir and was meant to lead to elections by the end of 2023.
U.S. Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman said the United States was deeply alarmed at reports of a military takeover of the transitional government in Sudan.
On the official Twitter of the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Feltman warned that a military takeover would contravene Sudan’s Constitutional Declaration and puts at risk U.S. assistance.
The Reuters witness said military and paramilitary forces deployed across the capital, Khartoum, restricting civilians’ movements, as protesters carrying the national flag burnt tires in different parts of the city.
The information ministry said on its Facebook page that were arrested.
Khartoum airport was shut and international flights were suspended, according to Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel.
Image: RASD SUDAN NETWORK via REUTERS (via social media)
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