Sudan’s ousted prime minister and his wife have returned home after the military imprisoned them and disbanded the government.
Some Western nations have tried to persuade Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s senior military leader, to release additional Sudanese officials.
The State Department declared it will halt $700 million in assistance to Sudan due to rising inflation.
Western powers indicated Wednesday they will continue to accept civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok as the country’s transitional leader. The African Union announced it would stop all Sudanese operations until the civilian transition authority was reinstated.
Separately, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he talked with Hamdok late Tuesday about “the necessity to restore to civilian government.”
Others, according to Hamdok’s administration, remain incarcerated in unknown places. In a statement, it stated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife were returned to their Khartoum apartment under strict protection.
Most of his cabinet members were jailed Monday as security forces swarmed the city, threatening a democratic transition sparked by millions of Sudanese marching for Omar Hassan al-ouster Bashir’s more than two years ago. Young people who have previously demonstrated against the coup have promised to do it again.
Burhan claimed the prime minister was not detained or injured, but held in “safe custody” at the general’s residence for his own safety. He promised a government “not hobbled by disagreement” and said Hamdok’s life was in danger.
Other officials, he added, were being held and thought to “undermine national security.”
Sudan’s military arrested the country’s prime minister and imposed a state of emergency on Oct. 25.
Until last week, Sudan’s military and civilian leaders shared power in a precarious arrangement beset by distrust and differences on basic issues, such as how to deal with decades of past crimes.
People have been protesting since the military shoved away civilian equivalents, killing at least seven people and injuring scores more, according to a leading physicians group.
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