Sudan crisis: Military council says it foiled a coup attempt

KHARTOUM - Sudan's ruling military council has said it foiled an attempted coup aimed at blocking a power-sharing deal with opposition groups.

More than a dozen people - among them former and current army o cers and members of the security services - were arrested, a military spokesman said.

Sudan has faced turmoil since President Omar alBashir was ousted in April.

Meanwhile, a BBC investigation has heard claims linking the military council to an attack on protesters.

Analysis by BBC Africa Eye of mobile phone footage from the June 3 massacre showed the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group under command of the ruling military council, ring at protesters with live ammunition.

Two men who said they were serving RSF o cers told the BBC that the attack was ordered by the leadership of the RSF. eir allegations could not be independently veri ed.

e RSF leadership has denied responsibility, and claimed that rogue elements were behind the attack.

General Jamal Omar, a member of the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC), said in a television broadcast that 12 o cers and four soldiers had been arrested. He said the organiser of the alleged coup had not been found.

Earlier this month, the military agreed to share power with a civilian opposition alliance. e agreement has yet to be signed, but it would see control over a governing sovereign council rotate between civilian and military rule for three years until elections can be held.

Previous talks between the demonstrators and the military collapsed in the wake of the June 3 massacre.

e RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militia which was accused of carrying out a genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

General Mohamed Hamdan "Hemeti" Dagolo, the vice-president of the military council and leader of the RSF, denied any responsibility for the deaths. He blamed rogue elements for the violence, saying impostors wearing RSF uniforms had been arrested before the massacre took place.