Sudan Prime Minister placed under house arrest by military forces

Sudan's temporary prime minister and several senior government officials were detained on Monday, according to the information ministry, which described the events as a military coup. According to the ministry's Facebook page, the country's internet was mostly shut off, and armed forces closed bridges. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's whereabouts were not immediately known, according to the report. Meanwhile, patriotic traditional music and Nile river pictures were shown on the country's state news channel.

In separate appeals, the country's major pro-democracy organization and the country's largest political party asked citizens to come to the streets to protest the apparent military coup. Thousands of people poured into the streets of Khartoum and Omdurman, its twin city. Protesters reportedly blocked roadways and set fire to tires while police officers used tear gas to disperse them, according to footage published online.

Sudan has been grappling with a democratic transition since long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was deposed by mass protests two years ago, and a military takeover would be a major setback.

Early Monday, US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman said the military takeover had "seriously disturbed" Washington.

The arrests on Monday come after weeks of escalating tensions between civilian and military officials in Sudan. A failed coup attempt in September polarised the country, pitting more hardline Islamists who seek military rule against those who overthrew al-Bashir in rallies. Both factions have taken to the streets in recent days in protests.

Hamdok was apprehended and brought to an unidentified location, according to the information ministry's Facebook page. A number of officials were also detained, according to the report, and their locations were unknown.

Two authorities reported earlier Monday that at least five government officials had been detained. Because they were not authorized to speak to the media, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Industry Minister Ibrahim al-Sheikh, Information Minister Hamza Baloul, Mohammed al-Fiky Suliman, a member of the country's ruling transitional body known as The Sovereign Council, and Faisal Mohammed Saleh, a media adviser to Hamdok, are among the detained government members, according to officials. According to his office's official Facebook page, Ayman Khalid, the governor of the state that includes the capital, Khartoum, was also arrested.

Sudan has steadily escaped from years of international pariah status under Hamdok and the transitional council, which it had under al-Bashir. In 2020, the country was removed from the United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism, allowing it to access much-needed international loans and investment. However, the country's economy has been hit hard by a series of economic reforms mandated by international financial institutions.

Sudan has seen several military coups since gaining independence from Britain and Egypt in 1956. Al-Bashir ascended to power following the overthrow of the country's last democratically elected government in 1989.

The arrests came after Feltman, the special US envoy, met with Sudanese military and civilian leaders on Saturday and Sunday in an attempt to mediate the conflict. The discussions with military officers were emphasized on Sudan's state news website.

After what it termed as a "complete military coup" perpetrated by the Sovereign Council's leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the Sudanese Communist Party called for workers to go on strike and mass civil disobedience.

Early Monday, NetBlocks, a nonprofit that analyses internet outages, reported a "severe interruption" to both fixed-line and mobile internet connections across Sudan with numerous providers.

“Metrics corroborate user reports network disruptions appearing consistent with an internet shutdown,” the advocacy group said. “The disruption is likely to limit the free flow of information online and news coverage of incidents on the ground.”