SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Reuters – Sudanese general ignored U.S. warning as army rolled out coup plan

28/10/2021: Reuters – Sudanese general ignored U.S. warning as army rolled out coup plan, by Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir and Aidan Lewis

 

Reuters feature piece reveals how the Sudanese army staged a coup despite Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, warning its commander, Abdulfattah al-Burhan, not to do so.

 

According to diplomats and two of his aides, the army reportedly failed to persuade Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to dismiss his cabinet “so they could tighten their grip on the transition without using force while keeping him in office”.

 

Al-Burhan was under pressure from factions in the army and Himedti, his Sovereign Council deputy and head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to take a hard line with the civilians

 

Western states that backed the transition will need to re-evaluate how to apply pressure on Sudan, said Jonas Horner of the International Crisis Group.

"The military brushed aside what was being held over their heads in the end," he said.