Coup leader ‘taking care’ of Prime Minister
Khartoum, Tuesday
Sudan’s top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said he was keeping ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok at his own house.
He told a news conference in Khartoum on Tuesday that Hamdok was safe and kept away “for his own safety”.
The announcement comes a day after the army detained Hamdok and some civilian leaders.
“Yes, we arrested ministers and politicians, but not all of them”, al-Burhan said, adding that Hamdok would “return home when the crisis is over”.
In his second public appearance since seizing power, al-Burhan said that the military was forced to step in to resolve a growing political crisis that he alleged could have led to civil war.
“The whole country was deadlocked due to political rivalries,” he said.
“The experience during the past two years has proven that the participation of political forces in the transitional period is flawed and stirs up strife.”
A statement from the information ministry on Tuesday appealed for “liberation of everyone” arrested on Monday with Hamdok.
This included his wife, several of his ministers, and civilian members of the council that was in charge of the country’s transition to full civilian rule.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called on Tuesday for the prime minister to be “released immediately” as the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the putsch in Sudan. - AFP
