A Group of Soldiers Attempt A Military Coup Against the Transitional Government in Sudan
Sudan announced that an attempted coup against the country’s transitional government by a group of armed forces officers was prevented on 21 September. Live broadcasts on state television and radio in Sudan were cut off, according to the Sudanese state news agency, and breaking news that a group of soldiers in the capital, Khartoum, had attempted a coup was broadcast, asking the people to resist the coup.
The uprising attempt began when a group of troops in the capital’s Omdurman area attempted to seize some armored vehicles and take control of the official radio and television stations in order to broadcast the military coup declaration. They then reportedly intended to arrest members of the Sovereign Council led by Abdelfatah Al-Burhan, as well as Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok’s government. However, the Sudanese army closed the White Nile bridge connecting Khartoum and Omdurman, preventing the rebels from crossing. Elements of the Sudanese Armored Corps, which took part in the coup, then surrendered. The members of the coup who had taken over the state radio building recognized the attempt had failed and surrendered.
In a statement posted to his Facebook account, Sudan Sovereignty Council Spokesman Mohammed El Feki Suleiman stated the situation is under control and urged people to protect the country, the transition process, and oppose the coup.
Prime Minister Hamdok said:”what happened was an orchestrated coup by parties inside and outside the armed forces,” in a televised statement on the matter, pinning the attempt on the ‘remnants’ of the old regime. “This coup is one facet of the national crisis… and clearly highlights the importance of reforming the military and security institutions,” Prime Minister Hamdok added.
Under the chairmanship of Sudanese Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Yasin Ibrahim, and Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, General Abdulfettah al-Burhan, the Sovereign Council convened an emergency meeting to assess the security situation in Sudan following the coup attempt. The Security and Defense Council issued a written statement after the extraordinary meeting, stating that they had information about the coup attempt on 20-21 September 20 and that Major General Abdulbaki Bekravi and 22 officers of various ranks were behind the coup attempt, and that those responsible had been detained.
Unfortunately, rather than resolving the dispute between the civil and military parts of the government the failed coup attempt has exacerbated it. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sovereign Council, and his deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, spoke out against the civilian administration after the coup attempt at a military graduation ceremony in Omdurman.
Citizens were urged by political parties to oppose military rule and defend the revolution. Such sentiments, according to Burhan, are ‘unacceptable’. “Who should they rise to protect the revolution against? From us, the military?” said General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, “We are the ones who are protecting it from them, the ones who want to steal it.”
“The politicians gave an opportunity for the coup because they neglected the citizen and his livelihood and basic services and were occupied with fighting over seats and divvying up positions,” General Dagalo said. He added that “the military is met with humiliation and insults day and night, so how can there not be coups.”