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Sudan Coup Fails; Dozens Detained

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – Authorities in Sudan, where minority Christians face persecution, say dozens of military officers have been detained for an alleged coup.

Sudanese state TV said a “failed” coup attempt in the country early Tuesday with forces trying to take control of the public media building in Omdurman, across the River Nile from the capital Khartoum.

Sudanese authorities accused plotters loyal to ousted president Omar al-Bashir of “a failed bid to derail the revolution” that removed him from power in 2019 and ushered in a transition to democracy.

Sudan’s military said 21 officers and several soldiers had been detained for their involvement in the power grab, and a search continued for others.

Observers said the coup underscored challenges faced by a government that has reoriented Sudan since 2019, winning Western debt relief and taking steps to normalize ties with Israel.

However, the ruling body known as the Sovereign Council has run Sudan under a fragile power-sharing deal between the military and civilians since the overthrow of Bashir.

POLITICAL TURMOIL

Besides political turmoil, it faces massive economic challenges following the ouster of Bashir, a hardline Islamist who presided over Sudan for nearly three decades.

Minority Christians have been suffering persecution though the new government pledged to ease Islamic law with elections
expected in 2024.

Bashir, who has been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Darfur region in the early 2000s, is opposed to reforms, critics say.

The ICC’s chief prosecutor held talks with Sudanese officials last month on accelerating steps to hand over him, and others wanted over Darfur atrocities in the early 2000s.

“What happened is an orchestrated coup by factions inside and outside the armed forces. This is an extension of attempts by remnants since the fall of the former regime to abort the civilian democratic transition,” Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said in a televised statement.

“This attempt was preceded by extensive preparations represented by lawlessness in the cities and the exploitation of the situation in the East of the country, attempts to close national roads and ports and block oil production.”

COUNTRIES ENGAGED

The United States, Britain, and Norway, which have led Western engagement with Sudan, as well as the United Nations, stressed their support for democratic transition.

Underlining Western support for the transitional authorities, the Paris Club of official creditors agreed in July to cancel $14 billion of Sudan’s debt.

But Sudanese are still struggling with massive poverty caused in part by rapid inflation and shortages. Amid the turmoil, streets of the capital Khartoum appeared calm, with people moving around normally, witnesses say.

Many people have become familiar with armed conflicts, which led to South Sudan gaining independence in 2011.

Despite a peace deal signed last year with some Sudanese rebels, there has been increased unrest in the western region of Darfur and local clashes in Sudan’s east.

This week members of the Beja tribe reportedly blocked Port Sudan and highways leading to it, one of many standoffs in the conflict-ridden African nation of 47-million people.