(Khartoum) The chief of the army in Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, on Thursday ordered the release of four ministers arrested on the day of the coup on October 25, amid increased international efforts to restore the rails democratic transition.
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, also spoke Thursday with General Burhane, urging him to “restore the government led by civilians”.
The news about the ministers came hours after the military announced the “imminent” formation of a government, ten days after General Burhane dissolved the government, arrested civilian leaders and established a state of emergency.
Since then, Sudan, mired in political and economic stagnation, has come to a standstill between intransigent soldiers and anti-coup demonstrators.
Thursday evening, General Burhane ordered the release of four ministers: Hamza Baloul (Information and Culture), Hachem Hassabarrassoul (Telecommunications), Ali Jeddo (Commerce) and Youssef Adam (Youth and Sports).
No date for their effective release has been specified.
Most members of the government were arrested on October 25, including Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok who was brought back the next day to his home in Khartoum, where he has since been under house arrest.
The decision to release the ministers came shortly after a telephone conversation between General Burhane and UN boss Antonio Guterres, who urged his interlocutor to release those arrested and urgently restore civilian government.
Intransigence
The United States, which suspended part of its aid to Sudan after the putsch, said it had “taken note” of the release of the ministers but reaffirmed that it expected more from the army.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urged General Burhane “to immediately release all political figures detained since October 25 and return to a dialogue bringing Prime Minister Hamdok back to office,” according to the State Department. This is the first known exchange between the two men since the coup.
Mr. Blinken also spoke again Thursday with Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, after a first exchange on October 26, the day after the putsch.
“The Secretary of State underlined the strong support of the United States to the Sudanese people who aspire to democracy,” said the spokesperson for the State Department.
In an attempt to put the transition back on track and resolve the crisis, international mediation efforts have intensified and several foreign diplomats have followed one another in Khartoum.
The “release announcements are the result of mediation efforts.” It was agreed that the detainees would be released in groups, ”Tut Gatluak, adviser to the President of South Sudan and head of the South Sudanese mediation delegation visiting Khartoum, told AFP.
“We called for the release of all the detainees,” he added.
Key officials remain in detention, including Sovereign Council member Mohammed al-Fekki, Hamdok’s adviser Yasser Arman, and cabinet minister Khaled Omar Youssef.
Gatluak mentioned negotiations to form a government, but for the moment the two camps are sticking to their positions.
“Burhane has no problem with Hamdok returning to his post as prime minister, but he does not want a return to the situation before October 25,” he said.
“Government of technocrats”
On Wednesday, General Burhane met with the envoy of the African Union (AU), Olusegun Obasanjo, and affirmed that “a government of technocrats is about to be put in place”, according to the Sudanese agency SUNA.
Prior to the coup, Sudan was ruled by transitional military-civilian authorities – a Sovereign Council led by General Burhane and made up of military and civilians, and a government led by Mr. Hamdok.
They were responsible for leading the country towards elections and fully civilian power after 30 years of dictatorship by General Omar al-Bashir, dismissed by the army in April 2019 under pressure from the streets.
But the growing divisions between civil and military clans ended up getting the better of their fragile understanding.
After the coup, the Sudanese took to the streets in droves to denounce the military power. At least 12 protesters were killed and hundreds injured in the crackdown, according to a committee of pro-democracy doctors.
Gatherings were held again Thursday in Khartoum.