Sudanese General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a military coup in Sudan, has ordered the release of four government ministers detained during the takeover.
The ministers to be released are Telecommunications Minister Hashem Hassab Alrasoul, Trade Minister Ali Geddo, Information Minister Hamza Baloul, and Youth and Sport Minister Youssef Adam, Al Jazeera reported. Several others government ministers remain detained. Deposed Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, who was arrested on October 25, the first day of the coup, was released a day later and placed under “heavy security” in his home.
Al-Burhan in a phone call on Thursday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, agreed to form a new government quickly, according to his office. The State Department said in a statement that Blinken called on the general to release all the detained political officials and to “return to a dialogue that returns Prime Minister Hamdok to office and restores civilian-led governance in Sudan.” Blinken also spoke with Hamdok, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price.
Military and civilian groups in Sudan had been sharing power since the country’s former leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019 following months of street protests. The country was moving toward civilian rule and a democratic election by the end of 2023. The military was scheduled to hand over leadership of the council to a civilian leader in the coming months though no specific date had been set.