SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Sudanese authorities say military coup by remnants of past regime thwarted

21/9/2021: Washington Post - Sudanese authorities say military coup by remnants of past regime thwarted, by Rachel Chason

Rachel Chason’s feature piece provides analytical quotes on the failed coup attempt.

According to Brian D’Silva, an analyst on Sudan, the coup reinforces the fragility of Sudan’s democratic transition and indicates the “persistent influence of remnants of Bashir’s regime,” adding that “we should do our best to see the situation in Sudan remain stable,” amid regional instability.

Yasir Arman, an adviser to Prime Minister Hamdok, called the events “a wake-up call" about support among Islamist forces loyal to al-Bashir and the extent to which they oppose the transitional government.  

Jonas Horner, senior Sudan analyst at the International Crisis Group, said that a successful coup may have meant the end of international aid dollars that the new government has been increasingly successful at getting. Horner added that “this coup attempt may have been a test…to see how the street reacts”.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese government says the "situation under control" after failed Islamist coup

21/9/2021: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese government says the "situation under control" after failed Islamist coup

Sudan Tribune’s report provides details on the aborted coup attempt.

According to Minister of Information Hamza Balol, the coup plotters military and civilians have been arrested including those who were in the Armoured Corps in al-Shajara suburb south of Khartoum.

Military sources identified the coup plotters as Islamist officers affiliated with the former regime. Local media said 18 military person were arrested, including Maj-General Abdel-bagi Bakrawi, “who is likely to be the commander of the operation.”

Sudan Tribune “learned that Bakrawi was in Cairo for several months, and that he is suspected to have been planned the operation there with the Sudanese Islamist residing in Egypt.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Sudan Tribune  – Hamdok: foiled coup proves the need to reform Sudan’s security sector

21/9/2021: Sudan Tribune  – Hamdok: foiled coup proves the need to reform Sudan’s security sector

Sudan Tribune report on reactions from within Sudan following the failed coup attempt.

Wajdi Saleh, a member of the Empowerment Removal Committee, repeated calls to purge the military and security agencies from the Islamists in order to mitigate the risk of coups d’état and to protect the transition.

Military analyst and former general Hanafi Abdallah said that the coup attempt was limited as it only involved elements in the Armoured Corps and the Airborne Forces. He added that the ongoing investigations would reveal the political forces behind the coup.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga – Sudan PM on foiled military coup: ‘What happened is a lesson learnt’

21/9/2021: Radio Dabanga – Sudan PM on foiled military coup: ‘What happened is a lesson learnt’

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok gave a speech following the coup attempt in which he emphasised to need for security sector and army reforms. 

Hamdok said: “the coup is a manifestation of the national crisis that we referred to in the initiative The Way Forward [and] confirms the need to reform the security and military apparatus. It calls for a complete, clear and transparent review of the transition process”.

Hamdok stated that the coup was orchestrated “by parties inside and outside the armed forces,” and that it was “another attempt of the remnants of the former regime to abort the civil democratic transition [which was] prepared extensively, as witnessed by the lawlessness”, citing unrest in eastern Sudan which saw highways blocked, ports closed, oil production disrupted and continuous incitement against the civilian government.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New York Times - Sudan Leaders Say They Thwarted Coup Attempt by Loyalists of Former Dictator

21/9/2021: New York Times - Sudan Leaders Say They Thwarted Coup Attempt by Loyalists of Former Dictator, by Declan Walsh

Declan Walsh’s report on the failed coup attempt in Sudan quotes from former and current civilian officials. 

Two unnamed Forces of Freedom Change (FFC) coalition officials said the attempt was orchestrated by the military commander in charge of Omdurman. Starting at 0300,  officers tried, but failed, to read a statement on the state radio station. It remains unclear what the statement would have said.

Despite several coups attempts from “disgruntled” officers being foiled since Omar al-Bashir’s ouster, Amjad Farid, former deputy chief of staff to Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, said the latest attempt “was the first time that an attempted takeover spilled onto the streets”.

It underscored the urgent need to get Sudan’s military under full civilian control, Farid said.

“There will be no stability without civilian oversight over all the state apparatus, including military and intelligence agencies”. Farid concluded that “a genuine reform process needs to start now.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudan says coup thwarted, accuses Bashir loyalists

21/9/2021: Reuters - Sudan says coup thwarted, accuses Bashir loyalists, by Ali Mirghani and Khalid Abdelaziz 

Reuters’ report that Sudan's military said 21 officers and a number of soldiers had been detained in connection a coup attempt, and a search continued for others.

A witness said military units loyal to the council used tanks to close a bridge connecting Khartoum with Omdurman, just across the River Nile. An anonymous Sudanese government source said the plotters tried to take control of state radio in Omdurman.

Government spokesman Hamza Balol said on state TV  that the last pockets of rebellion at al-Shajara camp in south Khartoum were being dealt with.

According to Defence Minister Lt. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim, the leader of the coup was the commander of the Armored Corps based there, Major General Abdalbagi Alhassan Othman Bakrawi, who worked with 22 other officers.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: BBC - Sudan failed coup: Government blames pro-Bashir elements

21/9/2021: BBC - Sudan failed coup: Government blames pro-Bashir elements

The BBC’s report on the failed coup attempt in Sudan describes its build-up.

Following “intense” military activity in Khartoum and nearby Omdorman, the main bridge across the River Nile was shut. In the early hours of the morning, shooting was heard near a military base housing a tank division in Omdurman, journalist Mohammed Alamin told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. Shortly after that, a news flash on state TV said that a coup attempt had been thwarted. The coup plotters had tried but failed to take over a building housing the state media.

Correspondents say some elements within the military are likely to be strongly opposed to a transition that will see them lose considerable power. Mohanad Hashim, a journalist for government-run Sudan TV in Khartoum, reports that loyalists to former dictator Omar al-Bashir who were blamed for the coup say they are disgruntled with Sudan's tough economic situation.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Coup attempt by Islamist officers linked to al-Bashir regime thwarted

21/9/2021: Multiple sources – Coup attempt by Islamist officers linked to al-Bashir regime thwarted

Islamist troops loyal to Sudan’s ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were being interrogated after a failed attempt at a military coup.

In a development that underscores the fragility of the Sudan’s path to democratic rule, about 40 “remnants from the old regime”, including high-ranking officers, are being interrogated after they attempted to take over Sudan’s state media and other institutions in the early hours of the morning, officials said.

Sudan Tribune’s sources say the military intelligence identified the putschist elements in several corps of the Sudanese army and arrested them, except the Armoured Corp.

Abdalla Hamdok, the prime minister, said on state television that the failed insurrection was the “latest manifestation of the national crisis”, adding that plotters had “made extensive preparations” by fuelling protests in East Sudan that had blocked roads and key ports.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga – SPLM-N El Hilu seeks peace negotiations with Sudan govt

21/9/2020: Radio Dabanga – SPLM-N El Hilu seeks peace negotiations with Sudan govt

 Radio Dabanga report that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North under the leadership of Abdelaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N El Hilu) seeks negotiations with the Sudanese government.

 Ammar Daldoum, the SPLM-N El Hilu Secretary General and head of the groups negotiation delegation said the group “is waiting for a new government peace negotiations team” to be formed by Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

 SPLM-N El Hilu withdrew from the peace negotiations, which it entered separately from the Sudan Revolutionary Front rebel alliance in protest against the government delegation chairman, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Himedti.

 Separately, the SPLM-N El Hilu and the the Civil Forces Association (CFA) signed a political declaration agreeing to adopt the principle of secularism, reject a religious state in all its forms, and guarantee freedom of belief. They also agreed that no political party be established on a religious or ethnic basis.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Armed groups have to recognize that Sudanese revolution was achieved peacefully: al-Mahdi

21/9/19: Sudan Tribune - Armed groups have to recognize that Sudanese revolution was achieved peacefully: al-Mahdi

 Sudan Tribune reports that National Umma Party leader Sadiq Al-Mahdi said that the armed groups must admit that the revolution was peacefully achieved by the Sudanese people.

 With Sudan’s armed groups said to believe that they played the main role in the collapse of Omar Al-Bashir’s regime,  Al Mahdi said that the rebels recognition that the revolution was achieved by the Sudanese street paves way for the rebels "political participation through a project to engage in the political process without requiring the continuation of [armed resistance].”

 Sudan’s rebels have slammed the civilian opposition Forces of Freedom and Change for not giving them seats in the Sudan’s main transitional political institutions.