Umm Muhammed Umar

In Sudan, the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, and his cabinet have been arrested and the government dissolved, in the African continent’s latest ‘coup’.

The BBC reports that aside from political tensions, Sudan’s economy has been in a deep crisis. The country has been experiencing high inflation, with shortages of food, fuel and medicine.

Military and civilian leaders have, since President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in August 2019, been sharing power, on a joint committee known as the Sovereign Council. While Bashir was toppled by the military, protests demanding civilian rule obliged the military to begin moving toward a democratic government.

Sudan was supposed to be a transitional phase, but, according to the BBC, the two groups have had public disagreements. Civilian leaders had reportedly dismissed as a power grab, requests by the military for the cabinet to be replaced.

The BBC reports that several failed coup attempts have been made since 2019, with the last having taken place in September. 87 people were killed in 2019 when the military opened fire on them. Pro-army demonstrators, have in recent weeks, been bussed into the capital, Khartoum, with large counter-protests backing the prime minister taking place as well.

The internet has now been restricted, and the state TV and radio headquarters have been taken over by the military. The country’s top general has declared a state of emergency. General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan has also announced that elections would be held in July 2023.