World
Sudan military dissolves civilian govt amid intensity in anti-coup protests
Sudan’s leading general declared a state of emergency Monday, hours after his forces arrested the acting prime minister and other senior government officials in what the information ministry said amounted to a military coup.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said three people had died of wounds after being shot by armed forces during protests against the military's takeover on Monday. The doctors union wrote on its Facebook page that at least 80 people were injured, like its last toll.
According to FRANCE 24’s Khartoum correspondent Bastien Renouil, “the situation is now pretty quiet in downtown Khartoum, near the presidential palace”, despite the latest protests.
Eralier, military forces detained at least five senior Sudanese government figures on Monday, officials said, as the country's main pro-democracy group called on people to take to the streets to counter an apparent military coup.
The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, a group leading demands for a transition to democracy, also said there were internet and phone signal outages across the country.
A possible takeover by the military would be a major setback for Sudan, which has grappled with a transition to democracy since long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir was toppled by mass protests.
Monday's arrests come after weeks of rising tensions between Sudan’s civilian and military leaders. A failed coup attempt in September fractured the country along old lines, pitting more-conservative Islamists who want a military government against those who toppled al-Bashir more than two years ago in mass protests. In recent days, both camps have taken to the street in demonstrations.
The arrests of the five government figures were confirmed by two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.