Sudan:Protesters blocked streets as military takes power

In Sudan, military seized power in a coup on Monday, arresting members of a transitional government that was supposed to guide the country to democracy following the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising two years ago. According to reports, Soldiers arrested most of the members of Sudan's Cabinet and a large number of pro-government party leaders.Sudanese Prime Minister is also under the custody of soldiers, it is reported. Information Ministry of Sudan confirmed that the PM and others are detained. After the early morning arrests of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other officials, thousands poured into the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman. Thousands of people flooded into the streets to protest the coup that threatens the country’s shaky progress toward democracy. Protesters blocked streets and setting fire to tires as security forces used tear gas to disperse them.

In the afternoon, the head of the military, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, announced on national TV that he was dissolving the government and the Sovereign Council, a joint military and civilian body created four months after al-Bashir’s ouster to run the country. Burhan said quarrels among political factions prompted the military to intervene. Tensions have been rising for weeks between civilian and military leaders over Sudan’s course and the pace of the transition to democracy. The general declared a state of emergency and said the military will appoint a technocratic government to lead the country to elections, set for July 2023. But he made clear the military will remain in charge.