Coup attempt in Sudan comes to naught
The uprising was brought under control and its leaders have been arrested, information minister Hamza Balloul says
Sudan says it foiled a coup staged by military officers and supporters of ousted ruler Omar al-Bashir, the latest upheaval in the African country that’s trying to emerge from decades of dictatorship.
The uprising was brought under control and its leaders arrested, information minister Hamza Balloul said on Tuesday in a statement, adding that authorities were pursuing “remnants of the defunct regime”.
Sudanese forces quelled a mutiny at a military barracks in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as they’re not authorised to speak to the media. Some roads in the cities were briefly closed earlier and there was a military presence on the streets, while Asharq News reported a failed attempt to seize the state TV and radio building.
The incident starkly underlined the challenges faced by Sudan, which has shed its status as an international pariah and is trying to rebuild its economy and transition to democracy after Bashir was ousted by the army in April 2019 amid a popular uprising. An uneasy coalition of civilian and military figures is leading the country in a transitional government until democratic elections slated for later this decade.
Reforms implemented by the interim administration have helped Sudan secure funding from the International Monetary Fund and a pledge by the Paris Club of creditors to rework $23.5bn of its debt.
Still, many question the army’s commitment to surrendering power, while authorities have long warned of the threat posed by disgruntled remnants of the dictator’s three-decade rule.
“Everything is under control,” Mohamed Lafaki Suleman, a civilian member of Sudan’s transitional sovereign council, said on his Facebook page. Authorities also reported mutinies or failed coups in July 2019 and January 2020.
Recent days have seen protests in eastern Sudan, home to Red Sea ports that are a commercial lifeline, prompted in part by discontent with components of a peace deal the transitional government is trying to enact with rebels and opposition movements across the country.
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