MOSCOW: Unidentified military forces have besieged the house of Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who is now under house arrest, Sputnik quoted the Arab News daily report.
Four of Sudan’s cabinet ministers and one civilian representative of the Sovereign Council were also arrested in the early hours of Monday, the newspaper said citing an Al-Hadath TV report.
A picture circulating on social media allegedly showed the arrest of Sudan’s Industry and Trade Minister, Ibrahim al-Sheikh. The country’s Information Minister, as well as Hamdok’s media adviser, were also among those arrested.
According to local media reports, people took to the streets in the capital, Khartoum, in order to protest against the military coup attempt.
Disruptions in internet and phone services were reported by people on social media.
Khartoum police deployed tear gas against demonstrators demanding a transfer of power from the military to the civilian government on Sunday, according to a Sputnik correspondent. Protesters had gathered near the presidential palace, blocking several streets in Khartoum downtown.
On Thursday, several thousand demonstrators held protests in the cities of Khartoum, Omdurman, Nyala, Ed Dueim and elsewhere, shouting “Hand over power, Burhan” addressing the head of the Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The term of the eleven-member transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan expires next month. After that, the military council is to transfer power to the civilian government.
Sudan saw a military coup in April 2019, which was prompted by popular protests amid a deep economic crisis and a steep decline in living standards. As a result, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years, was ousted and later imprisoned.
Later that year, the head of the transitional military council of Sudan, al-Burhan, took office as head of the country’s Sovereignty Council, which promised to hand over power to the civilian authorities after a transitional period.-Bernama
