The African Union (AU) has suspended Sudan over the transition of the country into a military coup. The suspension would remain in place until the effective restoration of the civilian-led transitional authority in the country does not come into place. The bloc strongly has condemned the overthrown of the power in the country and plans to send a mission to Sudan to hold talks with the party. On the other hand, the World Bank has also suspended its aid to Sudan. World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement that, “I am greatly concerned by recent events in Sudan, and I fear the dramatic impact this can have on the country’s social and economic recovery and development.”
The protests have been going on against the power grab throughout the country. On Monday, the soldiers seized Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and detained him in the coup, along with him were the ministers and civilian members of Sudan’s ruling council. Due to the incident, a huge protest took place on the streets of Khartoum. On Tuesday despite the security forces violent response, protestors returned to the streets with roads being blocked and burning of tyres. Prime Minister Hamdok was later released under close guard, but other ministers and civilian leaders remain in detention. Security forces then launched sweeping arrests of anti-coup protesters on Wednesday itself to end three days of demonstrations against the power grab.
As per many news reports, few people were killed when security forces opened fire at the public during the protests. Al- Burhan has defended the military move stating that this was a necessary step to avoid a civil war-like situation in the country. He has further pledged to hold the election in July of 2023 and to appoint a technocratic government for the time being. Many reports have been made on the situation in Sudan, one of them being the zero chances transition of civilian rule in the country.
It was only under international pressure that Prime Minister Hamdok and his wife returned home under guard. Given the seriousness of the situation, there have been reports of major powers coming together to hold talks with the group and find a solution for the present situation.
