Sudanese Gov’t Says Coup Attempt by al-Bashir Loyalists Thwarted

A group of soldiers attempted to stage a coup in Sudan on Tuesday but failed to overthrow the country’s ruling council, according to reports by the Sudanese government. “All is under control. The revolution is victorious,” Mohammed al-Fiky Suliman, a member of the ruling military-civilian council, wrote on Facebook. A military official said a group of soldiers from the armored corps loyal to longtime authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown more than two years ago, were responsible for the coup attempt. The soldiers tried to take over the country’s military headquarters and the state television station in Omdurman, near the capital Khartoum. The official said more than three dozen troops, including high-ranking officers, were arrested. AP reported that Brig. Al-Tahir Abu Haja, a media consultant for the military’s chief, said in a televised statement that at least 21 officers and troops were arrested and that additional suspects were sought by the authorities. Culture and Information Minister Hamza Baloul said on state TV that security forces had arrested and interrogated the civilian and military leaders of the coup and that authorities were chasing others “from the remnants” of al-Bashir’s regime who were suspects in orchestrated the attempted coup. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok also blamed al-Bashir loyalists for the coup attempt, describing it as an effort to prevent Sudan’s democratic transition. “What happened is an orchestrated coup by factions inside and outside the armed forces,” he said.