MILITARY COUP IN SUDAN: People protesting on the streets for democracy
Thousands of people rose up against Omar
al-Bashir's government almost three years ago, calling for a
"revolution," which finally led to the dictator's downfall in April
2019.
The country has been controlled by the Sovereignty
Council since then. The agreement stipulates that a military representative
will take over the council for 21 months and a civilian representative for the
remaining 18 months and lead the country to elections by the end of 2023.
It was on the basis of this agreement that Abdalla
Hamdok became the Prime Minister. Sovereignty still rested with the
Transitional Military Council, which represented the country's military in one
of the two alliances on the Sovereignty Council.
The Sovereignty Committee is a joint committee of the
Transitional Military Council and the Forces of Freedom and Change. Although
Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok has the authority to oversee the day-to-day
operations of the country, the Sovereign Committee has the final say in making legislative
decisions.
Meanwhile, in the past few weeks, supporters of the
radical Islamist ideology have staged protests in the country's capital. They
demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Hamdok. It was rumoured that the
protesters had the support of the military. There have been reports that the
military is likely to seize power following the same.
As the protest and clash continued, the army announced yesterday
that it had arrested about 300 people, including prime ministers, some other
ministers, government officials and journalists on national television, and
dismissed the government.
Following this, the people who support and believe in
democracy came out in support of the Prime Minister and against military rule. General
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan declared a state of emergency in the country and
declared military rule over the country. With this, thousands of people,
including women and children, took to the streets in several cities, including
the capital. Troops reportedly used tear gas and grenades against protesters.
Previously, there had been allegations that the
military was intruding in the country's foreign policy and peace efforts. The
military, on the other hand, argued that civilian organizations and political
parties were nothing more than monopolies of power.
This is the second attempt at a coup. Former dictator
Omar al-Bashir's followers attempted to topple the government in September, but
failed. General al-Burhan stated the administration had failed to keep the
country at peace.
Meanwhile, former ruler Omar al-Bashir and his
associates are facing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war
crimes since 2003. An investigation is also underway into the killings of
pro-democracy protesters on June 3, 2019. In this case, the military is also involved. Delays in
publicizing the case's conclusions are an issue for both activists and civilian
groups. Such moves would mobilize the military. As a reason, the army must
need to cut them off.
The country is going through a severe financial crisis.
The long-standing international ban was lifted in 2019. However, Sudan has not
yet been able to make significant economic progress. The value of money is
still falling sharply.
The resulting financial crisis has wreaked havoc on the
country. The Hamdok government, which took office in 2019, attempted economic
reforms, although none of them were successful in improving the country's
financial difficulties. According to a representative for the US State
Department, $700 million in financial help to Sudan has been halted as a result
of the military coup.
Central Bank employees go on strike to protest against
the coup. Left-wing organizations in the country boycotted work and called on
workers to take to the streets to restore democracy. Protesters blocked the
streets of Omdurman, a twin city in Khartoum, and chanted slogans in support of
civilian rule.
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