In the night of Sunday 24 to Monday 25 October, the army in Sudan, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, staged a military coup. As a result, Prime minister Abdallah Hamdok and other officials have been arrested and kidnapped. PAX strongly condemns the coup and calls on the EU and member states to take action.
This coup follows massive nationwide peaceful demonstrations last Thursday during which the Sudanese people expressed their support for prime minister Hamdok and called for the military to hand over power to civilians. Current events are a blatant disregard for the wishes of the people. Moreover, they effectively violate the constitutional document agreed upon between civilians and the armed forces after the toppling of the al-Bashir regime in 2019.
PAX condemns the military coup led by general Burhan in the strongest possible terms. The Sudanese armed forces must immediately reverse the coup, release all those detained, and allow for the installation of a civilian government.
PAX calls upon the EU and member states to:
- Condemn the military coup and push the Sudanese armed forces to hand over power to a civilian-led transition government immediately
- Pressure for the immediate release of the prime minister, cabinet members, officials, and activists
- Freeze any funding streams for the Transition Government and instead re-direct funding to support Sudanese civil society to monitor the situation, track HR violations, and organize non-violent resistance and protection of activists
- Call to safeguard the right to peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression and lift the state of emergency and reinstate internet and phone services
- Express public support for the courageous people in Sudan that again use nonviolence means to fight for their freedom
PAX stands in solidarity with the Sudanese people and civil society in their efforts for peace, justice, and democracy.