Sudan’s army general dissolves government, declares emergency
Khartoum, Oct 25 (EFE).- Sudanese general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday dissolved the country’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency amid reports of a coup attempt.
Al-Burhan made the announcement in a televised speech, hours after a group of soldiers detained Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok and other government officials.
Earlier, the Sudanese information ministry said Hamdok’s whereabouts were unknown after he was arrested for refusing to support the coup leaders, instead urging people to peacefully “defend the revolution.”
In addition to Hamdok, “civilian members of the transitional sovereign council and a number of ministers from the transitional government have been detained by joint military forces. They have been led to an unidentified location,” the ministry said.
Later on Monday morning, some 12 people were injured after security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of demonstrators in the capital Khartoum who were protesting the military takeover, according to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors.
“Military forces fired bullets at the protesters who rejected the military coup in front of the Armed Forces General Command headquarters,” the information ministry said.
The opposition platform Sudanese Professionals Association urged neighborhood resistance committees, the revolutionary forces and masses to put up “fierce resistance” to the “brutal military coup.”
Images broadcast live on television channels showed protesters and burning tires on the streets of Khartoum, while there were also reports of gunfire.
Internet watchdog NetBlocks confirmed “a significant disruption to internet service in Sudan.”
“Internet disrupted in Sudan amid reports of military coup and detention of Prime Minister; real-time network data show national connectivity at 34 percent of ordinary levels,” it said in a statement.
