Sudan: Street conspiracy denied, international community pressures

Sudanese still chanted in the streets after the coup and the death of three protesters abroad that “no return is possible” and that almost all public leaders were released after being arrested by the military, which shared power with them.

Three decades after the dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir, Washington has called for an “immediate restructuring” of interim authorities to lead East Africa, one of the world’s poorest nations, to its first free election.

For opponents and experts, the possibility of a return to the military’s unchallenged rule is now more and more realistic, as the UN. The Security Council will hold an emergency meeting behind closed doors on Tuesday afternoon.

Because of the recent diplomatic ballet in Khartoum and the repeated demands for the immediate release of the officers arrested in the early hours of the morning did nothing.

On Monday, the coup took its course: Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdock, his wife, several of his ministers and civilian members of the council overseeing the change in Sudan were taken away by the military, their whereabouts still unknown.

Later, after the army attacked state television, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, the head of the Sovereign Council, appeared there to announce the dissolution of the interim powers.

– Disobedience and barriers –

Strategic for their navies in the Red Sea, Red Sea, region, especially in the ports of the United Kingdom, where Russians, Turks, Americans and Saudis are fighting for influence.

On the street, he declared to the new authorities a “general strike” and a “no-deal” until General Burhan, who had until then been simulated by a single man, had promised a “competent” government soon, but its coup effectively halted unprecedented change. In a country that has been under the rule of the military almost continuously since independence.

Under a cloud of flags, thousands of Sudanese camped in the streets of Khartoum, leaving on Monday morning, wondering where the country was going, and then without internet or phone calls.

For them, it is a question of “saving” the “revolution” that toppled Bashir in 2019, at the cost of repression that killed more than 200 people. Since Monday, at least three protesters have been killed and more than 80 wounded by bullets fired by “armed forces”, according to the Pro-Democratic Medical Association.

“People chose a civilian state” and “not a military force”, in defiance of all, protesters in Khartoum cut roads with burnt tires, stones and other blockades, especially near the army headquarters. The forde in the center of Khartoum was built by the army for several days with walls.

To try for more pressure, Washington’s ambassador, Jeffrey Feldman, told MM. Burhan and Hamdock still announced in Khartoum on Sunday that they would “stop” the $ 700 million dedicated to democratic change.

– “The will of the dictatorship” –

The process by which Sudanese boasted about themselves in the Arab world, where pro-democratic uprisings in recent years have gradually led to Islamist or dictatorial counter-revolutions, has long been declining.

In April 2019, the military and civilians agreed to oust Bashir from power and form the Sovereign Council, equally representing the two camps, to organize the first free elections by the end of 2023.

But on Monday, by declaring a state of emergency and suspending all those in charge, General Burhan stopped the change and exposed the growing rift between those seeking a cabinet with generals to oust Sudan and supporters of a power and the general public. Political and above all economic recessions.

“This is an existential moment for both camps,” said Jonas Horner, a researcher with the International Crisis Group. “This kind of intervention (…) reintroduces dictatorship as an option,” he adds.

Already appearing to be in dire straits, Hamdok’s office warned Monday that military officials were accepting “full responsibility” for his fate in the country, which had already failed in September.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has said she fears a “catastrophe” if Sudan returns (…) after decades of dictatorship.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “military coup” and called for respect for the “constitution.”

The text, signed by all anti-Bashir actors in 2019, establishes the blueprint for change, General Burhan said, only to be confirmed once the new government and a new Sovereign Council are appointed.

The European Union has called on the international community to “put Sudan back on track.”

Faced with these criticisms accumulating abroad, General Burhan made a pledge: he promised to respect the international agreements signed by Sudan, one of the four Arab countries that recently decided to recognize Israel.