The Sudanese Military and Defense Forces have seized power in the country after taking over the Capitol and arresting the country’s Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, on Sunday. This comes after years of slow and shaky progress towards democracy from the Sudanese government, which had been implementing many long years of Democratic reform. The Military coup leader, General Burhan, has stated that the country’s government was overthrown due to an attempt to ‟prevent a civil war.” However, on Monday, he switched the reasoning for the coup to ¨prevent political infighting” in the government. Protests against the military coup took to the streets when the Coup occurred. Soldiers reportedly opened fire on the protesters after using less-than-lethal munitions, with many civilians claiming they opened fire ‟First with stun grenades, then live ammunition”.

Sudanese Anti-Coup protester in-front of burning tires in Khartoum (AFP)

Later on during the day of the coup, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced to the public on government radio and television that the Sudanese government had been dissolved, and a state of emergency was declared across the country. According to several anonymous military officers, the President, his family, wife and cabinet were arrested and taken to a military compound in the outskirts of Khartoum. Several international organizations such as the United Nations and European Union have declared the coup as illegitimate and demanded that coup leaders release the former Democratically elected government officials and the president. Several thousand protesters took to the streets after the chaos and protested against the coup outside of the compound the President and his government were being held in. African Union representatives also convened after the coup occurred, and officially suspended Sudan from the organization, and froze all economic aid and other assets, along with the World Bank. Billions of dollars were also frozen by the US, China and other countries.

Written by Shane Miller