The Sudanese army imposes a state of emergency in a military coup

The Sudanese army dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency in what amounts to a military coup after months of tension between the civilian and military wings of the transitional governing body.

Major General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council that was supervising the transitional government, announced that the military coup, which prompted people to take to the streets of the capital, Khartoum, in protest, on television on Monday.

A health ministry official said seven people were shot dead and 140 wounded in clashes between soldiers and protesters in the streets.

General Burhan said the armed forces had taken control but would appoint a technocratic government as well as a constitutional court and legislative assembly. He said the army would prepare the country for the July 2023 elections.

Hours earlier, the Ministry of Culture and Information said in a Facebook post that the armed forces were holding Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok and other political figures. In a later post, she said, General Burhan «announced the seizure of power in a military coup.»

The transitional government came to power in 2019 after months of civil protests against the 30-year regime of Omar al-Bashir. Although protesters and civilian officials referred to Bashir’s overthrow as a «revolution,» it was the military that ultimately ended his regime.

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