Sudan coup 2021: Live updates
Live Updates
The military coup in Sudan has had one man at its centre: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and chairman of what was Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council.
Lurking in the background has been another military man, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemeti. Head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Hemeti's troops are out on the streets killing and injuring civilians, but the man himself has hardly been seen, leading to widespread talk about his whereabouts and his intentions.
It is now known that on Friday night he was meeting with Volker Perthes, the UN's special representative for Sudan, who tweeted that he urged Hemeti to "de-escalate, allow peaceful protest and avoid any confrontation tomorrow, 30 October".
Nevertheless, according to analysts, Hemeti appears to be biding his time, waiting to see how the coup plays out. He and Burhan are part of the same system, but if the general stumbles, Hemeti will look to take control of the putsch.
Read more from Middle East Eye on Hemeti's power, influence and tactics.
Good morning.
We'll be following events in Sudan live today, with opponents of Monday's military coup set to hold nationwide protests to demand the restoration of a civilian-led government.
With the internet and phone lines restricted by the authorities, opponents of the coup have sought to mobilise for the protest using fliers, SMS messages, graffiti, and neighbourhood rallies.
Neighbourhood-based resistance committees, active since the uprising against former president Omar al-Bashir that began in December 2018, have been central to organising despite the arrest of key politicians.
With at least 11 protesters killed in clashes with security forces, opponents of the junta fear a full-blown crackdown and more bloodshed.
The United States, which is calling for the restoration of the civilian-led government, said that the way Sudan's military reacts on Saturday will be a test of its intentions.
Khartoum committee activist Hussam Ibnauf told Reuters he was confident of a big turnout. There was now "no fear factor", he said.
"Everyone on the street... they know about October 30. If they know, the rest is easy."
The UN Security Council called on Sudan's military to allow for the return of the civilian-led government after a coup deposed the country's Prime Minister.
In a statement released on Thursday, the UN Security Council said it had "deep concerns" over the military's seizure of power in the country.
The unanimous statement follows widespread international condemnation and the African Union's decision to suspend Sudan's membership in the pan-African organisation.
The UN Special Representative in Sudan, Volkes Perthes, met with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Wednesday, his office confirmed on Thursday.
Perthes called on Burhan during the meeting to de-escalate the situation and have access to and release detainees.
The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) said Perthes "offered his good offices to facilitate a political settlement towards the restoration of the transitional partnership."
Good afternoon,
Here's your midday round-up of the latest developments coming out of Sudan as protests enter their fourth day.
- Large parts of the country remain without the internet after Burhan's military government shut down access after the coup.
- Sources inside Sudan confirm that large protests continue to take place across the country in preparation for the million man march set to take place on 30 October.
- Sudan's Foreign Minister urged other ambassadors to follow their colleagues who openly criticised the coup following Burhan's dismissal of several diplomats for opposing his takeover.
- International condemnation continues against the coup as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirms he had spoken to his Sudanese counterpart Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi.
- A source has told Reuters that Abdallah Hamdok has vowed to continue supporting the transition to democratic rule after being placed under house arrest.
Sky News Arabia's Khalid Ewais has posted a statement from Sudan's Foreign Minister after Burhan's military government dismissed several Sudanese ambassadors who opposed the coup.
Commenting on the dismissals, Sudan's Foreign Minister Maryam al-Sadiq al Mahdi praised the "bravery" of the ambassadors who openly supported the civilian government and urged other Sudanese diplomats to publicly reject the country's military takeover.
Over the last four days, Sudanese from across the country have been mobilising in opposition to the country's military takeover.
The Internet remains blocked in vast swathes of the country, but protestors have continued to be on the streets.
From tagging walls with graffiti urging people to attend the 30 October million man march against the coup to holding teach-ins educating people about their rights.
Our stringer on the ground shares with us the people risking their lives to oppose the coup.
Sudanese security forces on Wednesday made sweeping arrests of protesters as they sought to extinguish opposition to this week's military coup, while the international community ramped up punitive measures.
The World Bank froze aid and the African Union suspended Sudan over Monday's power grab by the army.
Hundreds of protesters were seen throwing rocks at security forces dismantling street barricades in Khartoum's eastern district of Burri, according to an AFP correspondent.
In the capital's north, security personnel fired tear gas and rubber bullets at dozens of protesters.
"Police forces have removed all the barricades since Wednesday morning and arrested all the people who stood near them," said Hady Bashir, a protester.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a phone call with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi on Thursday, condemned Sudan's military takeover and the arrest of the country's civilian leaders.
He said on Twitter that they also discussed how the United States can best support the Sudanese people's call for a return to a civilian-led transition to democracy.
Blinken discussed Washington's support for a civilian transition in accordance with the Sudanese Constitutional Declaration, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
Abdalla Hamdok says he remains committed to a civilian democratic transition after being ousted as prime minister and placed under house arrest in a military coup, a source close to him told Reuters on Wednesday.
Hamdok also affirmed his commitment to the goals of the revolution that led to the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and warned against the use of violence against protesters, the source said.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has removed six Sudanese ambassadors from their posts, state TV reported on Wednesday.
The decision included Sudan's ambassadors to the United States, the European Union, China, Qatar, France and the head of Sudan's mission to Geneva.
The move comes as a growing number of Sudanese diplomats came together to reject Burhan's seizure of power.
A group of 41 current and former Sudanese ambassadors and diplomats, in countries including the US, France, and Qatar, have signed a letter in opposition to the military coup.
Several of them have said they would rather quit than work under a military dictatorship.
"Yes, I think that if the situation doesn't change they will sack us, or we will leave by ourselves," Usama Nuddallah, Sudan's ambassador to South Africa, told MEE.
Sudan's armed forces have sacked Ibrahim Adlan, head of the county's civil aviation authority, sector sources told Reuters.
Earlier on Wednesday, Adlan announced Sudan will reopen Khartoum airport to all inbound and outbound flights, a day after flights were suspended following the military coup.
Good afternoon,
Here's a rundown of the latest developments coming from Sudan as international bodies begin to distance themselves from the country after the military takeover.
- The World Bank suspended aid to Sudan and said it would be reinstated once a civilian government is restored.
- The African Union confirmed it had suspended Sudan from the pan-African body on Tuesday, after the coup.
- Calls are growing from Sudanese inside the country and the diaspora to join the million man march set to take place on 30 October.
- Sudan's ambassador to Belgium and the European Union has told Middle East Eye that he will resign if the situation deteriorates further in his homeland. He has joined other Sudanese diplomats in condemning the country's military takeover.
- An Israeli official has told Israel Hayom that Sudan's military coup will aid normalisation ties.
- Videos are slowly coming out of Sudan after the internet was temporarily restored and taken off again.
Sudanese inside Sudan and across the diaspora are calling on civilians to mobilise for mass protests on 30 October.
Using the hashtag #مليونية30اكتوبر , which translates as million October 30th, people are posting pictures of demonstrations taking place across Sudan, where protesters are urging people to join the million man march.
