Sudan’s PM, Cabinet Detained by Country’s Military in Apparent Coup

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was detained on Monday and moved to an undisclosed location by the country’s military, in an apparent coup. Five other senior government ministers are also reported to have been arrested. Hamdok was arrested after refusing to support the coup by issuing a statement in favor of it, Reuters reported, citing the country’s information ministry.

Military and civilian groups in Sudan have been sharing power since the country’s leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019 following months of street protests. The apparent coup comes after a failed coup plot last month led to disagreements between the groups. 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 joint Sovereign Council to a civilian leader in the coming months though no specific date had been set.

The Sudanese military has blocked roads and bridges and is restriction telecommunications in the country, Al Jazeera reported. Civilians have taken to the streets after the information ministry cited Hamdok as calling on the Sudanese people to resist the coup attempt peacefully and “defend their revolution.”