Sudan military orders 4 detained ministers released
Sudan's state news agency says the country's top general has ordered the release of four government ministers detained during a coup last week
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sudan s top general on Thursday ordered the release of four government ministers who were detained amid a coup last week, the country's state news agency reported.
Moez Hadra, a defense lawyer for the deposed officials, said they have yet to be freed.
Sudan's state news said that Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan had issued the decision for Hamza Baloul, minister of information and culture, Hashim Hasabel-Rasoul, minister of communications, Ali Gedou, minister of trade and international cooperation, and Youssef Adam, minister of youth and sports to be let go.
Hadra's statement comes as the country's top generals and former civilian leaders are locked in tense negotiations for a way out of the crisis sparked by the military takeover last week. International pressure to resolve the crisis and re-install the civilian transitional government has been mounting. Meanwhile, protest leaders and rights workers are warning of a widespread arrest campaign against activists and opposition leaders.
On Oct. 25, Burhan, dissolved the transitional government and detained other government officials and political leaders in a coup.
Many were taken from their homes in the early morning hours and have been kept in undisclosed locations. The military leaders also raided the state news television headquarters and cut off mobile and internet communications across the country. Tens of thousands of people came out to protest.
Meanwhile the international community is continuing to press for a de-escalation that can put Sudan back on the path to democracy. The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to hold an emergency session on the situation on Friday.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres encouraged general Burhan in a phone call on Thursday to take action toward resolving “the political crisis in Sudan and urgently restoring the constitutional order and Sudan’s transitional process,” U.N. associate spokeswoman Eri Kaneko said.
The U.N. chief reiterated his call for the release of former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other civilians who were arbitrarily detained, she said, adding that the body’s special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, continues to speak to all parties and is in contact with the United States
Hadra said the four ministers who are meant to be released are from among the 100 government officials who were arrested during the coup. Half of them, he said, are believed to be held in Khartoum and the others are scattered across the country's provinces. He said that he has not been able to communicate with his clients or even know their whereabouts until now. He said around 25 officials and politicians are facing charges for inciting troops to rebel, which is an apparent reference to a failed coup attempt in September.
The coup, strongly condemned by the U.S. and the West, has come more than two years after a popular uprising forced the military’s removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019. It has upended the country's fragile planned transition to democratic rule.
Hamdok was also detained but released within two days. He has since been kept under guarded house arrest but been allowed to meet with U.N. and international diplomats.
Former government officials aren't the only targets of the arrests, according to opposition members.
Sara Abdelgalil, a spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals' Association, the major force behind the 2019 uprising and anti-coup protests, estimated that hundreds of protesters and opposition figures have been rounded up in the past week. Some have disappeared and some have been interrogated and later released, she said.
Ali Agab, a prominent Sudanese human rights lawyer, said he had heard reports of security forces identifying protesters from photos taken at demonstrations and forcibly detaining them from their homes.
Abdelgalil said the near-blackout of communications has made it difficult to know just how many have gone missing, or are being held in secret prisons that were commonly used under al-Bashir.
“We don’t know the extent of what has been happening in the last 10 days," she said.