The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency closed-door meeting on the coup in Sudan on Tuesday afternoon following requests from the governments of the United States, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Estonia, and Ireland.
Council members will be returning from a trip to Africa and would arrive in New York City in the afternoon. The meeting has been scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT.
TROIKA CONDEMNS COUP
The Troika, which is made up of the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway, on Monday, condemned the military takeover in Sudan that led to the arrest and detention of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, his wife and several civilian ministers.
“The Troika is deeply concerned about the situation in Sudan and condemns the suspension of the institutions of state, the declaration of state of emergency, and the military forces detaining Prime Minister Hamdok as well as other members of the civilian leadership,” the group said in a statement. “We call on the security forces to immediately release those they have unlawfully detained. The actions of the military represent a betrayal of the revolution, the transition, and the legitimate requests of the Sudanese people for peace, justice and economic development.”
It said the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly “must be respected; violence and bloodshed must be avoided; and communication networks must be restored.”
“The Troika will continue to support those working for a democratic Sudan with a fully legitimate civilian government. This remains the best guarantee for the long-term stability of the country and the broader region. We reject this attempt to derail the transition toward democratic elections and call for the immediate restoration of the civilian-led government on the basis of the Constitutional Declaration and other foundational documents of the transition.”
The United States government on Monday also condemned the actions taken by Sudanese military forces.
“The arrest of civilian government officials and other political leaders – including Prime Minister Hamdok – undermines the country’s transition to democratic, civilian rule,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington.
He added, “The civilian-led transitional government should be immediately restored. It represents the will of the Sudanese people, as evidenced by the significant peaceful demonstrations of support on October 21st.
“We recognize the legitimate grievances about the pace of the transition, but Sovereign Council Chair Burhan’s dismissal of government officials and dissolution of government institutions both violate Sudan’s Constitutional Declaration and abandon the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people.
“Military officials should immediately release and ensure the safety of all detained political actors, fully restore the civilian-led transitional government, and refrain from any violence against protesters, including the use of live ammunition.
“Any change to the transitional government by force risks assistance and our bilateral relationship more broadly.
“In light of these developments, the United States is pausing assistance from the $700 million in emergency assistance appropriations of Economic Support Funds for Sudan. Those funds were intended to support the country’s democratic transition as we evaluate the next step for Sudan programming.”
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.