Sudan arrests 3 coup critics as pressure rises on military
CAIRO — Sudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures overnight, their relatives and other activists said Wednesday, as internal and international pressure mounted on the country’s military following its coup.
The arrests came as protests denouncing Monday’s takeover continued in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere, and many businesses shut in response to calls for strikes. The coup threatens to halt Sudan’s fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.
Groups of protesters set up barricades of stones on main roads throughout the day. Security forces waded in, chasing demonstrators and dismantling the barriers. Some protesters were shot and wounded, activists said, though they did not have exact figures. Security forces confronting demonstrators have killed at least six people since
Monday and wounded over 140 others, according to physicians with the Sudan Doctors’ Committee.
The coup came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of Sudan’s moves toward democracy.
The African Union suspended Sudan. The AU Peace and Security Council said via Twitter on Wednesday that the suspension would remain in place “until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority,” as the deposed government is known.
The World Bank also suspended disbursements for its operations in Sudan, whose economy has been battered by years of mismanagement and sanctions.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s now-deposed government had embarked on a series of reforms meant to transform the country’s economy and have the nation rejoin the international community after over two decades of isolation under al-Bashir.
Following widespread international condemnation, the military allowed Hamdok and his wife to return home Tuesday night.
Several Western embassies in Khartoum said Wednesday they will continue to recognize Hamdok and his Cabinet as “the constitutional leaders of the transitional government” of Sudan.
Volker Perthes, the U.N. special envoy for Sudan, met Wednesday with Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the general leading the coup, and reiterated the U.N.’s call for a return to the transition process under the constitutional document and the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained.
The activists taken overnight were Ismail al-Taj, a leader of the Sudanese Professionals’ Association; Sediq al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, a leader in Sudan’s largest political party, known as Umma and brother of Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi; and Khalid al-Silaik, a former media adviser to the prime minister. The three have been outspoken critics of the military takeover and have called for protests.