Sudan's Hamdok moved to unknown location after refusing to support coup
Shafaq News/ Sudan's Prime Minster Abdalla Hamdok was moved to an unknown location after refusing to issue a statement in support of an ongoing military coup, the information ministry said on Monday.
Joint military forces holding Hamdok under house arrest were pressuring him to issue a supportive statement, the information ministry said earlier on Monday.
It cited Hamdok calling on the Sudanese people to resist the coup attempt peacefully and "defend their revolution."
Military forces arrested several members of Sudan's civilian leadership before dawn on Monday, Al Hadath TV reported, as a prominent pro-democracy group called on Sudanese to take to the streets to resist any military coup.
There was no immediate comment from the military. Sudanese state TV broadcast as normal.
Reuters witnesses said internet services appeared to be down in the capital, Khartoum.
Citing unidentified sources, Al Hadath said Hamdok had been placed under house arrest, and that unidentified military forces arrested four cabinet ministers, one civilian member of the ruling Sovereign Council, and several state governors and heads of political parties.
Jerusalem Post World News
Sudan's Hamdok moved to unknown location after refusing to support coup
By REUTERS OCTOBER 25, 2021 09:59
Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok speaks during joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Khartoum, Sudan September 3, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/ MOHAMED NURELDIN ABDALLAH)
Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok speaks during joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Khartoum, Sudan September 3, 2019
(photo credit: REUTERS/ MOHAMED NURELDIN ABDALLAH)
Sudan has been on edge since a failed coup plot last month.
Sudan's Prime Minster Abdalla Hamdok was moved to an unknown location after refusing to issue a statement in support of an ongoing military coup, the information ministry said on Monday.
Joint military forces holding Hamdok under house arrest were pressuring him to issue a supportive statement, the information ministry said earlier on Monday.
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It cited Hamdok calling on the Sudanese people to resist the coup attempt peacefully and "defend their revolution."
Military forces arrested several members of Sudan's civilian leadership before dawn on Monday, Al Hadath TV reported, as a prominent pro-democracy group called on Sudanese to take to the streets to resist any military coup.
There was no immediate comment from the military. Sudanese state TV broadcast as normal.
Reuters witnesses said internet services appeared to be down in the capital, Khartoum.
Citing unidentified sources, Al Hadath said Hamdok had been placed under house arrest, and that unidentified military forces arrested four cabinet ministers, one civilian member of the ruling Sovereign Council, and several state governors and heads of political parties.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok as he arrives for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris (credit: REUTERS)
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Sudanese military and paramilitary forces deployed across the capital Khartoum, restricting civilians' movements, as protesters carrying the national flag burnt tires in different areas of the city, a Reuters witness reported.
Khartoum airport was shut and international flights were suspended, according to Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel.
Military forces stormed Sudanese Radio and Television headquarters in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, and arrested employees, the information ministry said on its Facebook page on Monday.
US Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman said on Monday the United States is deeply alarmed at reports of a military takeover of the transitional government in Sudan.
On the official Twitter of the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, Feltman warned the military takeover would contravene Sudan's Constitutional Declaration and puts at risk US assistance to the country.
Sudan has been on edge since a failed coup plot last month unleashed bitter recriminations between military and civilian groups meant to be sharing power following the 2019 ouster of former leader Omar al-Bashir.
Bashir was toppled and jailed after months of street protests. A political transition agreed after his ouster was meant to lead to elections by the end of 2023.
As tensions built this month, a coalition of rebel groups and political parties aligned themselves with the military. Supporters of the military have been staging a sit-in outside the presidential palace calling on the military to dissolve the civilian government.
Last week, several cabinet ministers took part in big protests in several parts of Khartoum and other cities against the prospect of military rule.
The military head of the Sovereign Council has previously asserted his commitment to the transition.
Source: Reuters
