‘For His Own Safety’: Sudan’s PM Held in Military General’s House After Coup

General Burhan refused to accept that the military's actions were the same as a coup.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo Courtesy:Twitter)

Sudan's top military general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led the military to overthrow the government of Abdalla Hamdok in what has been described by experts and heads of states all over the world as a coup d'état, announced on Tuesday, 26 October, that the de jure Prime Minister Hamdok was at his (Burhan's) house for his own safety, The Guardian reported.

The prime minister and other civilian ministers in Sudan's Cabinet consisting of both civilian and military leaders were arrested on Monday, 25 October.

They have been missing since then.

The people of Sudan took to the streets to protest the coup, after which paramilitary forces opened fire on them, killing at least seven.

Burhan refused to accept that the military's actions were the same as a coup.

He also said that Hamdok was in good health and would be permitted to go back to his own home soon, Reuters reported.

Sudan's politics and society has been very unstable since the 2019 overthrow of dictator Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for 30 years.

Following the ouster, the Sovereignty Council of Sudan had been created in which power sharing arrangements between military officials and civilian leaders had been agreed upon.

But tensions have remained high between the two factions, with the civilian faction willing to hand over military officials and al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court so that they can stand trial for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the Darfur War.

(With inputs from The Guardian and Reuters)