Sudan: Civilian Leaders Detained

Many members of Sudan’s transitional government were detained on Monday, 25 October.

Since 2019, there has been an uneasy alliance between the armed forces and civilian leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Chance (FFC) following the fall of president Omar Al-Bashir’s dictatorial rule.

Now, according to reports, tensions have spilt over and resulted in joint military forces cutting internet services across the north-eastern African nation, blockades setup along the main entries to the capital of Khartoum, and government officials – including Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok – have been placed under house arrest since dawn.

The uneasiness in the power-sharing military-civilian administration was directed to launch the Sovereign Council, with the aim of holding elections and transitioning to legitimate citizen-elected rule.

Last month, multitudes of people took to the streets of Khartoum, calling on the military to take control. However, pro-democracy groups claim this was an underhanded attempt for the military to grab power by staging a crisis.

FFC leader, Yasser Arman, said during a press conference on Saturday, 23 October, that “the crisis at hand is engineered – and is in the shape of a creeping coup.”

International observers say there is strong support for civilian rule, but analysts believe the struggling economy will be a huge stumbling block for a viable political system.