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Military authorities seize power in Sudan, arrest prime minister, impose emergency rule |
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Sudan’s military authorities who seized power on Monday have , arrested the prime minister and other civilian leaders, imposed a state of emergency and opened fire on protesters. The coup appeared to deal a sweeping blow to hopes for a democratic transition in one of Africa’s largest countries. |
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Sudan’s military and civilian leaders have shared power for over two years in a tense, uneasy arrangement. But the military’s actions signified an end to that deal.
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“This is a new Sudan,” Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the military chief, said. “We call on everybody to come together to develop and build the country.” |
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As news spread, protesters flooded into the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and soldiers opened fire, killing seven people and wounding at least 140 others, an official told Reuters. The internet was down in most of the nation, reinforcing fears that the country was reverting to the old Sudan, as it had been under its longtime dictator, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. |
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The White House condemned the coup and suspended $700 million in emergency economic aid to Sudan, intended to support the democratic transition — a vital lifeline in a country laboring under economic crisis. |
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The arrests happened weeks before al-Burhan, who leads the Sovereignty Council overseeing the democratic transition, was scheduled to surrender that position to a civilian. Instead, he dissolved the council and effectively declared himself the country’s leader. He did, however, vow to press ahead with elections in July 2023(Reuters) |
