AU rejects military takeover, suspends Sudan

The African Union on Wednesday reiterated its rejection of the military takeover of the government in Sudan, and accordingly,  suspended Sudan from the continental multi diplomatic platform till the military junta restores  civilian rule in the country. The AU declared the military takeover of government as an “unconstitutional” seizure of power.

The AU declared that it “strongly condemns the seizure of power”; therefore, announced the suspension of Sudan from all AU activities “until the effective restoration of the civilian-led transitional authority”.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, had on Tuesday demanded the immediate release of Sudan’s prime minister who was detained after the military staged a coup.

Guterres warned that Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok “must be released immediately,” by the coup plotters, indicating that the UN Security Council was prepared to hold an emergency meeting on the coup and the dethronement of the prime minister in Sudan.

The military junta had detained Hamdok, his ministers and civilian members of Sudan’s ruling council, who have been coordinating a transition to civilian rule, on Monday after the soldiers took over power. The transition programme commenced after the overthrow of longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir, in 2019.