Sudan's PM Abdallah Hamdok under house arrest; taken to 'undisclosed place'
According to the communication ministry, Hamdok was sent to an undisclosed place after refusing to deliver a statement favouring an ongoing military coup.
FollowSudan's Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok is under house arrest, according to Sky News Arabia, citing his office. According to Al-Arabiya, a military group transported the prime minister to "an undisclosed place," citing sources close to Hamdok. According to the communication ministry, Hamdok was sent to an undisclosed place after refusing to deliver a statement favouring an ongoing military coup.
Early on Monday, the communications ministry claimed that joint military troops keeping Hamdok under home arrest were urging him to deliver a favourable statement. It reported Hamdok urging Sudanese citizens to reject the coup attempt and "protect their revolution peacefully."
The Sudanese military instigated instability in eastern Sudan. According to the director of his office, al-Arabiya TV channel, it utilised the situation to carry out a coup against Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's administration on Monday.
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According to the Dubai-based channel, the coup occurred despite an agreement Hamdok had signed with the country's ruling council's leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in the presence of US special envoy Jeffrey Feltman.
The arrests on Monday came after weeks of escalating tensions between Sudan's civilian and military authorities. In September, a failed coup attempt split the country along traditional lines, pitting more orthodox Islamists who desire an army rule against those who overthrew al-Bashir in enormous rallies more than two years ago. Both factions have turned to the streets in recent days in protests.
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According to officials, the detained government members include Industry Minister Ibrahim al-Sheikh, Information Minister Hamza Baloul, Mohammed al-Fiky Suliman, a member of the country's ruling transitional body known as The Sovereign Council, and Faisal Mohammed Saleh, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's media adviser. The whereabouts of Hamdok were unknown at the time, despite media claims that security officers were stationed outside his Khartoum residence. Photos on the internet circulated of guys in uniform standing in the dark, purportedly outside his home. According to his office's official Facebook page, Ayman Khalid, governor of the state that includes the capital, Khartoum, was also detained.
