The prime minister of Sudan was arrested in a stunning military coup Monday morning, sparking mass protests in the capital city of Khartoum and elsewhere across the country while fueling even more chaos across the already dangerous, unstable Horn of Africa.
Just hours after Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other top government officials were taken into custody by military leaders, the U.S. Embassy in Sudan warned American citizens to shelter in place amid reports that armed forces were blocking roads in and around Khartoum. The unexpected coup came just weeks before the country was set to transition from its current transitional government to full civilian control.
But Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the nation’s military, said during a speech on national television that instead the military will remain in charge until elections are held in July 2023.
“The armed forces will continue completing the democratic transition until the handover of the country’s leadership to a civilian, elected government,” he said, adding that internal fighting between Sudanese political factions necessitated a takeover by the military.
Monday’s developments will further destabilize eastern Africa and could affect U.S. military policy on the continent. American forces already are embroiled in a long-running air campaign in nearby Somalia, where a fragile central government is clinging to power in the capital of Mogadishu but where huge swaths of the rest of the country are controlled by the al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab.
Sudan‘s neighbor to the east, Ethiopia, is in the midst of its own civil war.
If Sudan descends into complete chaos, that could open the door for an expansion of terrorist groups that already have a major foothold across Africa.
Meanwhile, the U.S., European Union, United Nations and other nations and international bodies condemned Monday’s coup. It wasn’t immediately clear whether American citizens in Sudan are in danger, but the State Department urged them to take precautions.
“The U.S. Embassy has received reports that armed forces are blocking certain areas in and around Khartoum. Internet in Khartoum is non-functional. The Embassy is advising American citizens to shelter in place and remain aware of their surroundings,” the Embassy said in a series of Twitter posts that also condemned the coup and called for the transition to civilian-led government to continue.
“American citizens are advised to be aware of their surroundings and shelter in place, which includes not traveling to the U.S. Embassy or the international airports in Khartoum and Port Said,” the Embassy said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the immediate release of the prime minister and others taken captive by the military.
“There must be full respect for the constitutional charter to protect the hard-won political transition,” he said.
Sudan was attempting a transition to a fully civilian-led government after a 2019 popular uprising ousted longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir.