Sudan’s army chief appoints himself as head of new governing council after coup
Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah
al-Burhan has now formed a new council to rule the country after a coup last
month.
Burhan would remain the head of a new governing Sovereign
Council, while Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the feared and notorious
paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who is also known as Hemeti, would keep
his post as deputy.
State television reported on Thursday that the new council
includes army commanders, former rebel leaders and new civilian members. A
representative for the eastern Sudan region will join the council later after
more political consultations.
On October 25, Burhan dissolved the cabinet and the ruling
military-civilian sovereign council. He also declared a state of emergency and
put Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok under an effective house arrest, while
detaining other leading members of his government.
The move drew anger and
outrage across the African country and sparked international outcry,
including from the UN Security Council. Protests have been underway for the
second week in row.
Burhan has said the military would establish a new
technocrat government, promising that elections would take place in July 2023.
Until then, he claimed, the military would be the guarantor of the democratic
transition and of Sudan’s stability and security.
Before the military coup, the African country was ruled by
the transitional government that was installed in the aftermath of the ouster
of President Omar al-Bashir in another coup two years ago. The military shared
power with civilians in the transitional authority since the removal of
al-Bashir in 2019.
In recent weeks, the military has been mounting a harsh
crackdown on protesters, who have been taking to the streets after Sudan’s main
opposition coalition called for civil disobedience and protests across the
country hours after the military coup.
Some senior civilians have been
detained since the October coup and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has been
under house arrest.
Mediation aimed at securing the release of
detainees and a return to power-sharing has stalled since the coup as the
military has moved to consolidate control.
Groups opposed to the recent military coup in Sudan have
called for “marches of millions” on November 13 and 17 to protest the putsch.
