Sudan coup: UN urges military to restore civilian government

The UN Security Council wants Sudan’s military to relinquish power and restore the civilian-led transitional government, the international body said on Thursday.

In a statement, agreed by consensus, the 15-member Council called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint. The Council also called for the immediate release of all those who have been detained by the military and urged “all stakeholders to engage in dialogue without pre-conditions.”

The international peace and security body expressed “serious concern” regarding Monday’s power grab by the military in the poverty-stricken African nation, which has enjoyed only rare periods of democracy since gaining independence in 1956.

Russia and China take softer stance

The British-drafted statement comes after laborious talks, which have been ongoing since Tuesday, among Security Council members. The wording of the text was somewhat diluted after pressure from Russia.

The statement expresses concern over the “suspension of some transitional institutions, the declaration of a state of emergency” and the detention of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Hamdok was taken on Monday by the military and is now under guard at his home. Previously, he had been held at the residence of General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the man who led the military coup. Other ministers, however, remain under full military arrest.

According to the AFP news agency, one diplomat said China insisted upon including Hamdok’s return to his home in the carefully worded text. The UN, however, maintains he is still denied his freedom.

• Resistance to the coup in Sudan

  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.

• Resistance to the coup in Sudan

  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.

• Resistance to the coup in Sudan

  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.

• Resistance to the coup in Sudan

  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.

• Resistance to the coup in Sudan

  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.

• Resistance to the coup in Sudan

  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.”

• Resistance to the coup in Sudan

  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.

  Author: Nele Jensch

The discussions among the Security Council members came against a backdrop of a renewed struggle between Western nations and Russia for influence in Sudan.

A first draft statement floated early this week condemned the coup “in the strongest terms,” but this terminology was eventually dropped.

In the version that was ultimately adopted, the council “called upon all parties to exercise the utmost restraint, refrain from the use of violence and emphasized the importance of full respect for human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.”

Clashes break out after coup

In the wake of Monday’s coup, clashes have broken out between soldiers and protesting civilians.

Several people have been killed, with well over 100 injured, according to Sudan’s Health Ministry.

jsi/wd (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/sudan-coup-un-urges-military-to-restore-civilian-government/a-59655815?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf