“Mysticals, gather around,” announced Verum urgently, “A lot is happening in Sudan, a country in Africa. We need to catch up.”
“What’s going on?” said Orak.
“A coup has taken place in Sudan,” said Verum, adding, “A coup is a sudden, violent seizure of power; it is pronounced as ‘koo’.”
“Are you talking about the failed coup from September?” said Scorch, skeptically, “You’ve already told us about that!”
“No, this one took place on 25th October,” said Verum, “Coup leader and top Army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan orchestrated the coup. He dissolved the civilian arm of the government, arrested civilian leaders including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and declared a state of emergency.”
Orak explained, “A civilian refers to a person who is not in the armed services or police force. And a state of emergency is a condition declared by the government in case of civilian unrest or natural disasters. It gives additional power to the military or the police. Because of this, states of emergency have often been misused by autocratic leaders who want complete control and power.”
“To understand this situation better, let’s look into Sudan’s history,” said Verum, “In 2019, several months of protests took place in Sudan. So, the military organized a coup and removed President Omar al-Bashir from power. He had ruled the country for 30 years. After this coup, the country was in transition with civilian leaders and the military jointly ruling the country. However, the two groups have been at odds.”
“Oh, so, General al-Burhan-led military seized the civilian government’s share of power through this coup,” remarked Felix.
“Exactly,” replied Verum, “The African Union, the European Union, United Nations, Arab League, and the United States have all expressed concern over the coup. Meanwhile, people in Sudan have been protesting.”
She added, “They are demanding a peaceful transition to civilian power. However, some pro-democracy supporters want to go back to power-sharing between the civilian and military governments while others are insisting that the power be handed over to the civilians.”
“In response, General al-Burhan argued that this isn’t a coup but a way of correcting the path of transition towards a democracy,” continued Verum, “However, the military has been tear-gassing the protestors. It has also allegedly shot at them, injuring hundreds and leading to the loss of at least 23 lives.”
“What a complicated situation,” said Felix.