Sudan’s army says government formation ‘imminent’ after military takeover

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan’s army says that the formation of a new government is now “imminent,” following last week’s military takeover which triggered international condemnation and mass anti-coup protests.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — Sudan’s de facto leader since the 2019 ouster of autocratic president Omar al-Bashir — last week dissolved the government, detained the civilian leadership and declared a state of emergency.

“We are considering all internal and external initiatives to serve the national interest,” Sudan TV quoted Burhan’s media adviser Taher Abouhaga as saying. “The government formation is imminent.”

Last week’s coup triggered nationwide mass protests against the military — demonstrations met by a deadly crackdown by security forces, resulting in at least a dozen people killed and scores wounded.

Burhan, a veteran general who served under Bashir’s three-decades-long rule, insists that the army takeover is “not a coup” but a move “to rectify the course of the transition.”