UN Secretary-General calls for immediate release of Sudan PM, officials

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned today’s military coup in Sudan, and called for the immediate release of Prime Minister Hamdok and other officials arrested after the military seized power this morning. The head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) has called for restraint.

In a statement via Twitter, Secretary-General Guterres said that “there must be full respect for the constitutional charter to protect the hard-won political transition.”

He assured that “the UN will continue to stand with the people of Sudan”.

In his own statement, the head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Special Representative Volker Perthes, called for restraint.

“I am deeply concerned about reports of an ongoing coup and attempts to undermine Sudan’s political transition. The reported detentions of the Prime Minister, government officials, and politicians are unacceptable,” Perthes tweeted.

“I call on the security forces to immediately release those who have been unlawfully detained or placed under house arrest. It is the responsibility of these forces to ensure the security and wellbeing of people in their custody.

“I urge all parties to exercise utmost restraint. All parties must immediately return to dialogue and engage in good faith to restore the constitutional order,” Perthes tweeted.

Coup

The head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, has declared a State of Emergency in the country after the military seized power in a dawn coup in Khartoum today. Minister Abdallah Hamdok, as well as several civilian members of the Sovereignty Council have been placed under arrest and all organs of civilian government have been suspended.