The White House expressed deep concern about reports of a military coup in Sudan.
The U.S. government is “deeply alarmed” by reports of a military coup in Sudan that contradicts the will of the country’s people, the White House said on Monday.
“We condemn the actions of the military and call for the immediate release of the Prime Minister and other persons placed under house arrest,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
As previously reported the Sudanese military arrested most of the cabinet members and dissolved the transitional government on Monday. Opponents of the coup took to the streets, where clashes with shootings reportedly took place.
The head of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, declared a state of emergency throughout the country and dissolved the council and the Transitional Government.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was detained and transported to an unknown destination after refusing to make a statement in support of the coup, the Sudanese Information Ministry said, which is still under the control of Hamdok supporters.
The ministry also reported that tens of thousands of opponents of the coup took to the streets and were shelled near the headquarters of the armed forces in Khartoum.
At least 12 people were injured in the clashes, the doctors’ committee said on its Facebook page, without providing additional details.
Hamdok’s chief of staff, Adam Herika, told Reuters that the military seized power despite “positive movements” towards an agreement with Hamdok after meetings with U.S. Special envoy Jeffrey Feltman.
The Ministry of Information stated that the armed forces had arrested civilian members of the Sovereign Council and members of the Government. In a statement sent to Reuters, the agency calls on the Sudanese to “block the military’s attempts to hinder the transition to democracy.”
