US, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE called for restoration of Sudanese govt after military coup

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) along with the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) joined together on Wednesday to urge for a civilian-led administration in Sudan which is to be restored immediately following a military coup. The countries issued a joint statement urging the military to free individuals who have been arrested in connection with the takeover and remove the state of emergency that has been in place throughout the nation since October 25, AP reported. 

According to the joint statement, the four nations have reaffirmed their support for the Sudanese people and stressed the significance of backing their aspirations for a democratic and peaceful country. Citing the statement, ANI reported, “We call for the full and immediate restoration of its civilian-led transitional government and institutions.” 

The four-nation statement read that they support a constructive discussion between all sides, and further encourages everyone to make peace and security for Sudanese a top priority. It also depicts that the nations emphasised the need of sticking to the Constitutional Document and the Juba Peace Agreement as the grounds for future discussion on how to maintain a military-civilian collaboration for the rest of the transitional stage until Sudan's elections. 

The Joint statement would put pressure on the coup chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan

As per AP, it is expected that the statement would create pressure on the coup chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, as well as his deputy, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, to make compromises during continuing talks to end the conflict. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are staunch allies of both Burhan and Dagalo.  

The transitional government was abolished, and several other government employees and political figures were imprisoned by Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the Sudanese military chief. The coup, which has drawn widespread criticism from the US and the West, comes after a popular revolt that pushed the military to overthrow longstanding ruler Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist administration in April 2019. The coup threatens to disrupt Sudan's already vulnerable democratic transition and rile up the violence in the nation. 

Furthermore, the military council of Sudan would convene on Wednesday to decide on Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's political destiny, a military source informed Sputnik. Hamdok had already been imprisoned by military forces during the transitional government's takeover. On Thursday, the UN Security Council approved a statement on Sudan's circumstances, calling on the nation's military leaders to reinstate the civilian-led transitional government. 

While, on the other hand, Burhan has argued that the takeover was vital to avoid civil conflict, further pointing to the rising divides among political groupings as justification. The coup occurred just under a month before he was scheduled to give over some control to a civilian. 

(Image: AP)