UN calls for release of ousted Prime Minister Hamdok

The UN has called for the release of deposed Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who has been under house arrest following a coup on Monday.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Hamdok "must be released immediately" as the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the putsch in Sudan.

On Monday soldiers detained Hamdok, his ministers and civilian members of Sudan's ruling council, who have been heading a transition to full civilian rule following the 2019 overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir.