New coup attempt foiled in Sudan – generals detained

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) says that it has foiled a new attempted military coup d’état. In a statement on Wednesday, the SAF says that the new putsch was led by the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with support of some ‘leaders of the ousted regime’ and elements of the Islamist movement.

The SAF statement confirmed that the goal of the failed coup attempt was to abort the popular revolution, return the former regime to power, and bar the way to a political solution of the future aims to establish the civilian state envisaged by the Sudanese people.

A source in the military junta confirmed the arrest of a number of senior army officers and leading figures of the former regime for interrogation in the coup attempt.

The sources confirmed that among those arrested are its leader, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lt Gen Hashim Abdelmutalab, the commander of the armoured corps, Maj Gen Nasreldin Abdelfattah, and the commander of the Central District, Maj Gen Bahar Ahmed.

The arrests also included leading figures of the Islamist Movement, Ali Karti and Zubeir Ahmed El Hasan.

A number of military vehicles mounted with Dushka machineguns were seen with armed soldiers in Omdurman, in particular on Nile Street near the National Radio and Television building.

Previous coup thwarted

On July 12, the military junta reported a planned coup to block the political agreement with the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC).

Transitional Military Council (TMC) member Jamal Omar said in a televised speech that 12 officers and four soldiers who planned a coup attempt had been arrested and would be brought to a fair trial.

El Mahdi: ‘Coup attempt was widely expected’

Chairman of the National Umma Party (NUP) and a leader of the Sudan Call, El Sadig El Mahdi, says that the latest failed coup attempt was widely expected and was no surprise to him.

“Unattended luggage is prone to encourage stealing,” El Mahdi said in a statement today via the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA).

He said that elements of the deposed regime still have access to money, weapons, and cadres, and this would lead to such ploys.

Speaking at symposium organised by the NUP at its head-office in Omdurman on Wednesday under the title Repercussions of Current Situations in light of the Political Agreement, El Mahdi stressed the importance of speeding-up formation of civilian government and execution of the political declaration.

He said that his party made a 24-item matrix and hoped that the transitional government would implement it.

He stressed necessity of expediting formation of government to overcome this stage, affirming that any delay will bring plots and this is not in favour of the country. He also urged that a thorough and fair investigation about those who staged the coup, as well as those involved in the sit-in massacre should be conducted.

El Watan Party

El Watan (the nation) Party has condemned the foiled coup attempt which was announced by the TMC on Wednesday, indicating that the timing of the coup attempt was unsuitable under a revolution protected by the youths.

In a statement to SUNA, the party’s Secretary General, Abdelaziz El Nur stressed that no coup attempt will succeed in the current stage, unless the coup leaders want to perpetrate massacres in Sudan.

He pointed out that the revolution was able to remove a regime that ruled the country for 30 years and to pave the way for the transfer of Sudan from a totalitarian state into a democratic one and from a military country into a civil one.

El Nur said that the Sudanese people can never accept re-production of the former regime, adding that all the coup attempts will fail.

Sudan Liberation Party

The Sudan Liberation Party (SLP) called for expediting formation of the interim government and reaching a final agreement that achieves  comprehensive peace and political and security stability as well as improvement of economic situation in the country.

SLP chairman, Mohieldin Abdeljabar commended in a statement to SUNA vigilance of military, security and police forces by foiling the desperate coup attempt.

He called for arrest of all symbols of the former regime , holding them to account and preventing them from destabilising the country.

Abdeljabbar urged components of the FFC to reach consensus over the holistic goals and narrow the differences of views over building a safe and stable Sudan.

He said any dispute means delay in formation of the government and that would be a main reason for infiltrators to work against the revolution’s goals .

Abdeljabar pointed out that “the deep state still exists and seizes opportunity to pounce upon the revolution”.

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