Sudan Coup Leader Says New Government is Imminent

The leader of the Sudan coup has announced intention for a new government. The coup, led on Wednesday by General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, has received vast international condemnation.

Al Burhan announced today his intention to form a new technocratic government, and indicated that the former prime minister Abdulla Hamdock could even be allowed to return to a future administration.

A new prime minister will be announced within the week, and will then be free to choose their own cabinet, the General claimed.  

Millions of dollars in western aid was suspended after the general dissolved the previous government the arrested of a number of former ministers and opponents. With the country recovering from years of famine and civil war, and more than half of the population lives in poverty, such support is vital. 

The United Nations Security Council called for the restoration of civilian rule. With pro Hamdock marches and protests planned for the weekend and a number of deaths already reported, international leaders fear mass violence against civilians.

United States President Joe Biden has warned against the use of force by the military forces against protestors.

The former prime minister is yet to publicly respond to the offer to return to the new government, although chances of a reconstitution remain slim while ministers remain incarcerated. 

Even though a peace treaty last year brought stability to some areas of the country, the coup comes with a backdrop of civil war and a real risk that nearby conflicts in Darfur and Nuba Mountains could be further exacerbated and worsened by the instability.

The coup marks a major set back for the Saharan nation nascent democracy, which was due to be restored in 2023 following the toppling of Omaer Al- Bahir two years ago. 

General Al Burhan still claims to be committed to the agreed transition road map, but the incarceration under house arrest of Hamdock throws into doubt the chances of success of a democratising process in country that has spent the majority of its independent history under military dictatorship.

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