Unidentified soldiers besieged the home of Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, placing him under house arrest. Al Hadath TV reports, quoted by al Jazeera. The ministers of industry and information and an advisor to the premier have also been arrested. “Access to telecommunications has been limited – says al Jazeera from Khartoum – so it is very difficult to obtain information on what is happening”.
According to other sources, soldiers loyal to General Burhan would have taken control, in a very delicate moment in the transition of the country divided into two factions since the ouster of former president Omar al-Bashir. Only yesterday the pro-democracy groups had warned of a possible coup after the security forces had dispersed with tear gas a demonstration of pro-militaries calling for the dissolution of the transitional government.
The country is in the case. The internet was put out of use across the country as demonstrators gathered on the streets of the capital Khartoum to protest the arrests, setting fire to several tires. Men in military uniform blocked the main roads leading to the capital as state television began broadcasting patriotic songs.
The news comes just two days after some Sudanese pro-democracy groups warned of a “creeping coup” during a press conference that unidentified people tried to prevent. Sudan is undergoing a difficult transition marked by political divisions and power struggles since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Since August 2019, the country has been led by a civilian-military administration charged with overseeing the transition to full civilian government.