Sudan: Protests continue as UN says PM Hamdok is 'well'
October 31, 2021
Anti-coup demonstrators have taken to the streets once more, one day after at least three people died during civil unrest. The United Nations is seeking a way out of the crisis.
Protests have entered a seventh day across SudanImage: AFP/Getty Images
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Protests in Sudan continued on Sunday as defiance against the military coup entered its seventh day.
Protesters manned barricades in Khartoum a day after a deadly crackdown on mass rallies.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people vented their frustrations across the country, marching against the army's power grab, with at least three people dying, despite the police denying they had used live bullets to quell the unrest.
General Abdel-Fattah Burhan dissolved the Sudanese government on October 25 and declared a state of emergency. Burhan also detained Sudan's prime minister as well as a number of other members of the country's civilian leadership.
UN seeks a way out of the crisis
Earlier on Sunday, a senior UN official discussed mediation options and possible next steps for the African country with its ousted leader, Abdalla Hamdok.
Volker Perthes, UN Special Representative to Sudan, said he had met with detained Prime Minister Hamdok, who is being kept under armed guard by the military junta.
"He (Hamdok) remains well but under house arrest," Perthes said. "We discussed options for mediation and the way forward for Sudan. I will continue these efforts with other Sudanese stakeholders."
Global outcry
The coup has been met with international disapproval, with the World Bank and the United States halting aid for a country already in disarray due to an economic crisis.
US President Joe Biden has described the coup as a "grave setback," while the African Union has suspended Sudan's membership for the "unconstitutional" takeover.
Resistance to the coup in Sudan
Protests and unrest have erupted in the streets of Khartoum after the military in Sudan announced the dissolution of the transitional government and arrested Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
The military appeases
The commander general of the Sudanese armed forces justified the coup by saying that there had been a threat to peace and security in Sudan. The democratic course is supposed to be continued after power was transferred to a civilian elected government. Elections should take place as planned in July 2023. International observers fear that this declaration will not hold.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
The people take to the streets
Thousands of pro-democracy supporters protested against the military's actions in the capital Khartoum on October 25, 2021. There had already been an attempted coup in Sudan in September. Since then, political tensions in the country had risen dramatically.
Image: Ashraf Idris/AP Photo/picture alliance
Deadly protests
Violence broke out during the protests: Car tires burned in Khartoum on Monday, roads were blocked. Seven people were killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces, according to the Ministry of Health. Protests continued Tuesday, with tanks blocking bridges and major roads in the capital.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Prime minister detained
The military arrested acting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (pictured above), along with several other ministers, on Monday. Sudan's top general, Abdel Fattah Burhan, said that Hamdok was being held in his own home and was unharmed. On Tuesday evening, Hamdok was able to return home. Cellular and landline service remained largely shut down on Tuesday.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/XinHua
Strikes and resistance throughout the country
All over Sudan, people are taking to the streets, as here in Omdurman. There is increasing resistance to the military in other areas: According to media reports, employees of the central bank have gone on strike. The Sudanese doctors' union wrote on Facebook that doctors throughout the country should refuse to work in military hospitals, except in emergencies.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Divided population
Not all Sudanese are behind the democratic transition process. Parts of the armed rebel groups would rather see a military government in power than a civilian one, Theodore Murphy, director of Africa programs at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told DW. "They see that a democratic future is unlikely to work out in their favor."
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Hope for democracy
In May, Sudan received billions in debt relief in order to support its transition to democracy. But now, after the coup, a period of instability lies ahead. Western countries have threatened to stop aid payments if the imprisoned politicians are not released and civilian forces are not allowed to participate in the government.
