The Sudanese army chief has ordered the release of four civilian ministers detained following last month’s military coup. The move by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan came while the birth of a new government is now imminent.
Burhan, the de facto leader of the country after President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019, last week dissolved the government, arrested the civilian leadership, including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and declared a state of emergency.
“We are evaluating all internal and external initiatives to serve the national interest,” said Burhan Media Advisor Taher Abouhaga. Hours later, Sudan TV said Burhan had ordered the release of four officials: Hashem Hassabalrasoul, Ali Geddo, Hamza Baloul and Youssef Adam. Hassabalrasoul is minister of telecommunications, Geddo is head of the ministry of commerce, Baloul is minister of information and Adam holds the youth and sports portfolio.
It was not immediately clear when the ministers will be released. The decision came shortly after a phone call between Burhan and UN chief Antonio Guterres, who personally appealed to the military leader to restore the democratic transition. Guterres encouraged “all efforts to resolve the political crisis in Sudan and urgently restore Sudan’s constitutional order and transition process”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with Burhan, calling for “the immediate restoration of the civilian-led government” and the release of all political figures detained after the coup, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. in a note.
Blinken also spoke with Hamdok, reiterating the “strong US support for the Sudanese people seeking democracy,” according to a separate statement by Price.