Sudan Blames Failed Coup Attempt on Bashir Loyalists
"We in the civil government institutions assure that we will not neglect the gains of the Sudanese people,"
A military official said an unspecified number of troops from the armored corps tried to seize military headquarters and state television.
Speaking on the state-owned television station, Sudan’s information minister and government spokesperson Hamza Balul confirmed security forces arrested a number of top military officers and political leaders. He said all of the detained individuals are Bashir supporters and are being interrogated.
Balul sought to assure Sudanese citizens that conditions are safe in the capital.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the coup attempt and warned it could delay the country’s transition to democracy, according to his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
The Sudanese military ousted Bashir in April 2019. Since then, Sudan has been governed by the Sovereign Council under a precarious power-sharing agreement between military and civilian officials.
"We in the civil government institutions assure that we will not neglect the gains of the Sudanese people," he said.
Transitional government authorities have accused factions loyal to Bashir of previous coup attempts.
Hamdok’s government has also undertaken a series of tough economic reforms to qualify for debt relief from the International Monetary Fund. The steps, which include a slashing of state subsidies, are seen by many Sudanese as too harsh.
Sudan is expected to hold elections in 2024.
VOA’s South Sudan in Focus contributed to this report. Some information came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
A coup attempt thwarted in Sudan Tuesday was planned by military and
civilian operatives associated with former President Omar al-Bashir, the
country’s prime minister said in a televised statement.
"What happened [was] an orchestrated coup by factions inside and outside
the armed forces and this is an extension of the attempts by remnants
since the fall of the former regime to abort the civilian democratic
transition," Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said.
"This attempt was preceded by extensive preparations represented by
lawlessness in the cities and the exploitation of the situation in the
east of the country, [to] close national roads and ports and block oil
production," Hamdok added.
The alleged coup attempt highlighted the challenges Sudan faces as it
undergoes a democratic transition, more than two years after the
military's overthrow of Bashir during mounting public opposition to his
three-decade rule.
A military official said an unspecified number of troops from the armored corps tried to seize military headquarters and state television.
The official also said more than three dozen troops that included
high-ranking officers have been arrested in connection with Tuesday’s
events.
Speaking on the state-owned television station, Sudan’s information minister and government spokesperson Hamza Balul confirmed security forces arrested a number of top military officers and political leaders. He said all of the detained individuals are Bashir supporters and are being interrogated.
"The situation is now under full control after the arrest of the
military and civilian leaders of the failed coup attempt, who were
captured in Shajarh military base in Khartoum and they are now under
investigation," he said. "The concerned authorities are on search for
the remaining individuals from the supporters of the former
administration who participated in the failed coup attempt.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the coup attempt and warned it could delay the country’s transition to democracy, according to his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
"Any effort to undermine Sudan’s political transition will jeopardize
the hard-earned progress made on the political and economic fronts,”
Dujarric said in a statement.
"The secretary-general calls on all parties to remain committed to the
transition and the realization of the aspirations of the Sudanese people
for an inclusive, peaceful, stable, and democratic future,” Dujarric
added.
The Sudanese military ousted Bashir in April 2019. Since then, Sudan has been governed by the Sovereign Council under a precarious power-sharing agreement between military and civilian officials.
Balul says the government will continue to defend the 2019 revolution
through the support of its citizens and will not allow anyone to, in his
words, "spoil this journey.”
He assured the Sudanese people that the transitional government is
committed to implementing all reforms enshrined in last year’s peace
deal with former rebel groups.
"We in the civil government institutions assure that we will not neglect the gains of the Sudanese people," he said.
Since Bashir’s ouster, Sudan’s government has taken steps toward
normalizing relations with the West. The U.S. removed Sudan from its
list of state sponsors of terrorism in December 2020.
Hamdok’s government has also undertaken a series of tough economic reforms to qualify for debt relief from the International Monetary Fund. The steps, which include a slashing of state subsidies, are seen by many Sudanese as too harsh.
VOA’s South Sudan in Focus contributed to this report. Some information came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
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