Sudan: We understand in 5 points the military coup in the third largest country in Africa | Globalism

O general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who headed the council that oversaw the country’s transition to democracy, made an official statement on state television, He declared a state of emergency and dissolved the council itself and the transitional government led by Hamdok.

Even before the speech, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Khartoum and Omdurman, to protest the coup, blocking roads and setting tires on fire, while security forces used tear gas to disperse them. (see video below).

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Below we understand the military coup in 5 points:

1. Where is Sudan?
2. What was the transitional government?
3. What do the scammers say?
4. Residents’ reaction
5. The reaction of the international community

The third largest country in Africa, Sudan has a population similar to Argentina and One of the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) in the world.

The country is located between sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and is bordered by seven neighboring countries (Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea), in addition to having access to the Red Sea. (see map below).

It is second only to Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in terms of territorial extension and has a population of about 42 million (Argentina has a population of about 45 million). Even South Sudan’s independence in 2011Sudan was the largest country on the continent (as well as in the Arab world).

Its capital is Khartoum, where the White Nile and Blue Nile rivers meet and form the Nile, and the predominant religion in the country is Islam.

Sudan’s Human Development Index is 0.510, and in a ranking of 189 countries, Sudan ranks 170 with Haiti (the poorest country in the Americas) and behind Afghanistan (169th).

What was the transitional government?

The country has been run by an interim government since 2019When the dictator Omar al-Bashir was overthrown. Al-Bashir ruled the country for three decades, between 1989 and 2019, leaving power after protests.

Four months after the dictator’s fall, a Sovereign Council, composed of civilians and military, was established to oversee the country’s transition to democracy.

The interim government is headed by Abdallah Hamdok (photo below)The prime minister, who was arrested on Monday, and the presidency of the Sovereign Council, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who made a statement on state television after the coup.

As Hamdok’s transfer was not reported, ministers and civilian members of the Sovereignty Council were arrested.

Civilians and military advisors often disagreed, differing over the country’s future and the pace of its transition to democracy, and The interim government had already been subjected to a coup attempt on September 21.

General Burhan was supposed to hand over the leadership of the Sovereignty Council to Madani in the coming weeks, but instead:

• – the arrest of Hamdok, ministers of the interim government and members of the civilian Sovereignty Council;
• declare a state of emergency throughout the country;
• Dissolution of the Sovereignty Council and the Interim Government.

Hours after the coup, Al-Burhan made a statement on the country’s state television and He declared a state of emergency and dissolved the council headed by him and the transitional government headed by Hamdok. He also said that a new constitution would be written.

The general said that the differences between the political factions prompted the army to intervene And that the army would nominate a government to run the country until the elections scheduled for July 2023. But he made it clear that the army would remain in power:

“The armed forces will continue to complete the democratic transition until the leadership of the country is handed over to an elected civilian government,” Al-Burhan said.

Residents’ reaction

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the main group responsible for the protests that led to the overthrow of dictator Omar al-Bashir, Residents called for a general strike and called for civil disobedience against the military coup.

The movement said in a statement, “We call on the masses to take to the streets and occupy them, close all roads with roadblocks, conduct a general strike, not cooperate with the putschists, and use civil disobedience to confront them.”

Even before Al-Burhan’s speech, thousands took to the streets of Khartoum and Omdurman to protest, The security forces used tear gas to disperse them.

Al-Arabiya satellite channel said that several people were injured after clashes between protesters and soldiers near a barracks in the capital. A local medical committee said at least 12 people were injured in the clashes.

In a statement, the head of the African Union called for the release of political leaders in Sudan. The United Nations, the United States and the European Union expressed concern about Monday’s events.

Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy to the region, said the country was “deeply concerned” by the news. The American met with Sudanese officials at the weekend to try to resolve the growing political conflict between civilian and military leaders.

White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said the US government “rejects the actions of the military and calls for the immediate release of the prime minister and others who have been placed under house arrest.”

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, said he was following events in Sudan “with great concern”. Volker Perthes, the UN representative, said the organization was “deeply concerned about reports of an ongoing coup in Sudan.”

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