Protesters use fires to block the streets to condemn a takeover by military officials in Khartoum, Sudan, Oct 25, 2021.
ASHRAF IDRIS / AP)
KHARTOUM – International organizations and regional alliances have voiced their concerns over Sudan's situation and called for political dialogue after the country's transitional government was dissolved and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was arrested by the military on Monday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the military actions in Sudan and demanded an immediate release of Hamdok and other detained officials.
In a statement, Volker Perthes, the secretary-general's special representative for Sudan, urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint.
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"All parties must immediately return to dialogue and engage in good faith to restore the constitutional order," he said.
It is important to respect all the deals and decisions that have been agreed upon over the transitional period until running the elections in the scheduled times.
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary-General, Arab League
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Monday also voiced deep concern over the latest developments in Sudan, calling on all Sudanese parties to abide by the constitutional document signed in 2019.
"There are no problems that couldn't be solved via dialogue. It is important to respect all the deals and decisions that have been agreed upon over the transitional period until running the elections in the scheduled times," he said in a statement.
It is also important to refrain from any measures that would disrupt the transitional period and stability in Sudan, it added.
Sudan is ruled amid a 39-month transitional period by a transitional government of military and civilian elements, which was established after the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The transitional period is set to be followed by elections to form a new government.
Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday called for immediate consultations in Sudan.
The chair of the 55-member pan Africa bloc has learned with deep dismay of the serious development of the current situation in Sudan and further called for an "immediate resumption" of consultations between civilians and military factions in Sudan within the Political Declaration and the Constitutional Decree, according to a statement.
He reaffirmed that dialogue and consensus is the only relevant path to save the country and its democratic transition, and further called for a necessary strict respect of human rights.
Since the announcement of foiling a coup attempt on Sept 21, the tensions between the military and their civilian partners in the transitional government have continued to escalate.
Soon after Monday's military takeover, Khartoum streets were witnessing demonstrations rejecting the military's actions and demanding a civilian government.
The Internet service was cut off for mobile phones, radio and television stations in Omdurman, a city in central Sudan, were stormed, and bridges were closed by military forces, according to the country's dissolved Ministry of Information and Communications.
A health ministry official said seven people were killed by gunfire and 140 injured in clashes between soldiers and street protesters.
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The Sudan information ministry, which is still loyal to ousted PM Abdalla Hamdok, said on its Facebook page that the transitional constitution gives only the prime minister the right to declare a state of emergency and that the military's actions are a crime. Hamdok is still the legitimate transitional authority, it said.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said: "We reject the actions by the military and call for the immediate release of the prime minister and others who have been placed under house arrest."
Youths opposed to the military intervention barricaded streets and clashed with troops. The main opposition coalition, Forces of Freedom and Change, which pushed for Bashir's removal and negotiated the military-civilian council, said on Twitter it was calling for peaceful actions in the streets to overthrow the military takeover, including demonstrations, the blocking of streets and civil disobedience.
Hamdok, an economist and former senior UN official, along with his wife, was detained and taken to an undisclosed location after refusing to issue a statement in support of the takeover, the information ministry said.
The ministry urged resistance and said tens of thousands of people opposed to the takeover had taken to the streets and had faced gunfire near the military headquarters in Khartoum. Central bank employees announced a strike to reject the takeover, the ministry said.
Troops had arrested civilian members of the Sovereign Council and government figures, the ministry said. Also detained was the news director of state TV, his family said.
