Protests in Sudan demanding a military coup

International Desk: Opponents of the interim government in the North African country of Sudan have called on the military to seize power through a coup. The call was made to the army after protests against the interim government in the country's capital, Khartoum, on Saturday, local time.

The BBC reports that as the political crisis in the country intensifies, thousands of protesters have gathered outside the presidential palace. Since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, the military and civilian groups have ruled Sudan through power-sharing.

But tensions in the country have risen again since a failed coup attempt by military officials loyal to Bashir last September. Since then, military leaders have called for reform of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), a civilian coalition that has led anti-Bashir protests.

At the same time they formed an important part of the interim government. The country's armed forces have also called for a cabinet reshuffle. But the country's civilian leaders say the military has raised the demands as part of a coup.

On Saturday, pro-army protesters chanted "I want the fall of the starving government." At the time, they called on General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chief of the armed forces, and Sudan's Joint Military-Civil Sovereign Council to take control of the country in a coup.

"We need a military government, the current government has failed to establish our justice and equality," one protester told AFP. Pro-government protesters called for a rally on Thursday in response to Saturday's protests.

Earlier on Friday, Sudan's civilian prime minister, Abdullah Hamdok, unveiled a two-year plan to tackle the country's "worst and most dangerous" political crisis. "I am not a neutral or a mediator in this conflict," he said. My clear and firm position is to coordinate the path to civilian-democratic transition.

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