Sudan Faces Imminent Coup as Party Leaders Detained

Sudan is staring at a possible coup following the detainment of a large number of pro-government party leaders but unidentified gunmen.

The incident follows weeks of tension between the civilian government and the military. There is, however, no immediate comment from the military, and the state broadcasts carry on as usual.

People gathered and took to the streets, burning tires to protest the arrests as the military and paramilitary forces deployed across the capital restricted their movement.

The arrests come barely days after a Sudan faction warned of an impending coup amid their calls for power transfer to a civilian rule.

Sudan has been undergoing a challenging transition marred by political rivalry and power struggle since 2019 when president Omar al-Bashir was ousted.

Bashir was removed from power and put to jail after months of protests. His ouster was meant to lead Sudan to new elections by end of 2023 after Bashir’s three decades of rule.

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It is reported that the country’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok had been placed under house arrest and that the unidentified military forces arrested four cabinet ministers.

Other arrested include one civilian member of the ruling Sovereign Council, and several state governors and party leaders.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the activist coalition that advocated for Bashir’s removal has urged the supporters to mobilize after the incident.

“We urge the masses to go out on the streets and occupy them, close all roads with barricades, stage a general labor strike, and not to cooperate with the putschists and use civil disobedience to confront them,” SPA said in a Facebook statement.

Following the prolonged political tension in Sudan, a coalition of rebel groups and political parties supported the military and urged it to dissolve the civilian government, staging a sit-in outside the presidential palace.

A ton of people marched in several cities to support the power transition to civilians. Cabinet ministers, also took part in big protests in most parts of Khartoum to disfavor the prospect of military rule.