Cairo, Jan 5 (AP) A coup protest took to the streets in Sudan’s capital Khartoum and other cities as the country in turmoil following the prime minister’s resignation earlier this week.
Security forces on Tuesday fired tear gas to disperse protesters at several places in the capital, including the area around Rashtrapati Bhavan, where clashes have erupted in the last round of protests since the October 25 coup. Protesters were also seen in videos pelting stones and tear gas canisters at security forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Prime Minister Abdulla Hamdok was ousted in the coup, only to be reinstated a month later following an agreement with the military that aimed to quell tensions and anti-coup protests. Hamdok stepped down on Sunday amid a political deadlock, saying he had failed to strike a deal between the ruling generals and the pro-democracy movement.
Sudan has been politically paralyzed since the coup. The military takeover comes more than two years after a popular uprising forced the ouster of long-autocratic Omar al-Bashir and his Islamic government in April 2019.
Under international pressure, the military reinstated Hamdok in November to lead a technical cabinet. But the deal sidelined the pro-democracy movement behind the rebellion against al-Bashir. Since then, Hamdok was unable to form the cabinet amid constant protests not only against the coup, but also against his deal with the military.
Thousands took part in marches on Tuesday in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, condemning the coup. Images posted online showed young protesters singing, drumming and waving Sudanese flags.
Similar demonstrations took place in other cities, including the eastern city of Port Sudan and the Darfur region.
“We have three current conditions after the coup: no negotiations, no power-sharing and no compromise, apart from the main demands of the revolution, which are freedom, peace and justice. Simply, we have no other demands,” the protesters Waddah Hussain said.
According to activists, authorities closed major streets and roads in Khartoum and Omdurman before the protests. This strategy has been adopted in the last two months to prevent protesters from reaching government buildings.
Since the coup, about 60 protesters have been killed and hundreds more injured in heavy security crackdown, according to the Sudanese medical group. The protests have been called by the Sudanese Professionals Association and resistance committees, which were the backbone of the rebellion against al-Bashir.
Mohamed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the association, said Hamdok’s resignation had thrown the country into further uncertainty and “deprived the generals from the fig leaf” they used to continue their military rule.
The protest movement emphasizes an entirely civilian government to lead the transition, a demand rejected by generals who say that power be delegated only to an elected government. Elections are planned for July 2023 in line with the constitutional document governing the transitional period.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “meaningful dialogue” between all Sudanese parties to “reach an inclusive, peaceful and lasting solution”, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Western governments warned that a unilateral move by the military to appoint a new prime minister and cabinet risks plunging the country into conflict.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the European Union, the US, Britain and Norway said they would not support “a prime minister or government appointed without the participation of a wide range of civil stakeholders”.
He called on all Sudanese parties to engage in “immediate, Sudanese-led and internationally facilitated dialogue” to deal with the current crisis. He threatened to hold accountable those obstructing the county’s democratic transition.
Sudan’s largest Ummah party called for the return of a 2019 constitutional document governing the transitional period, which calls on the military to relinquish leadership of the ruling sovereign council.
“This is the only way for the liberation of the nation, the integrity of the transitional period and the completion of its tasks within the stipulated time frame,” the party said in a statement.
According to a military official and a protest leader, discussions are underway to find “an independent person” to lead a technical cabinet through elections. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks. The name of former Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadavi was also included in the names discussed.
Elbadavi, who resigned in 2020, was not immediately available for comment.
Jibril Ibrahim, a rebel leader who joined Hamdok’s government last year after a peace deal with the transitional administration, called for a political settlement to resolve the crisis.
“Let us agree to work together for Sudan,” Ibrahim tweeted.
Spokesman al-Mustafa said the association rejects talks with coup leaders, warning of a deadly road confrontation between protesters and security forces. He called on the international community to pressure the Sudanese military to allow the establishment of a fully civilian government.
Coup leader and head of the ruling Sovereign Council, General Abdel-Fatah Burhan, said an independent cabinet with specific functions would be formed as the executive branch of the transitional government.
He said the military would defend democratic change until Sudan was able to hold free and fair elections. (AP) SCY SCY
(This story has been published as part of an auto-generated Syndicate wire feed. Headline or body have not been edited by ABP Live.)
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