Sudan’s top military commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, “hijacked and betrayed the Sudanese people’s aspirations for peace and democracy,” the US special envoy responsible for dealing with Sudan, Jeffrey Feltman, has said.
Feltman added that the “immediate restoration of democratic governance in Sudan” was critical.
Mr. Feltman was in Khartoum just hours before Sudan’s top military general seized power and arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other government officials.
He claimed that he was defending Hamdok, who remains under house arrest, as well as the country.
Both the military and civilians played a crucial role in the transition, according to Feltman.
“We urge the military to release all civilians detained in connection with the unacceptable events of October 25,” the US official said.
Furthermore, Feltman said the international support, especially from the United States, was contingent upon a smooth transition.
“I think that the [Sudanese military] generals will realize that they need the support of the international community when it comes to issues such as economic development debt relief, access to financing via the World Bank and the IMF,” he added.
US and European governments have repeatedly called for Hamdok’s restoration. The United States and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suspended economic assistance and aid after the military coup.
Within the next few weeks, Burhan and the military were supposed to hand over power to a civilian-led government.
Sudanese people are still protesting for a civilian-led government to be restored.
