Putsch in Sudan.

After weeks of tension between military and civilian authorities, unidentified gunmen arrested several Sudanese leaders from their homes early Monday, a government source said.

Most are ministers and civilian members of the Sovereignty Council that oversees the post-Bashir transition.

The Association of Professionals, one of the spearheads of the revolt which in 2019 ended 30 years of dictatorship of President Omar al-Bashir, called on the Sudanese to "disobey" in the face of a "coup d '' State ".

A call launched on Twitter despite the fact that the Internet has been cut off across the country since early in the morning.

However, demonstrators gathered in the streets to protest the arrests, setting tires on fire.

A coup has been feared for a while

Sudan has been going through a precarious transition marred by political divisions and power struggles since the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Since August 2019, the country has been ruled by an administration made up of civilians and soldiers responsible for overseeing the transition to a fully civilian regime.

The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), the main civilian bloc that led the anti-Bashir protests in 2019, has split into two opposing factions.

"The current crisis is artificial and takes the form of a rampant coup," said Yasser Arman, leader of the FFC, during Saturday's press conference in the capital Khartoum.

"We renew our confidence in the government, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, and in the reform of the transitional institutions, but without order or imposition," added Yasser Arman.

The "most serious and dangerous crisis" of the transition

Tensions between the two sides have existed for a long time, but divisions have escalated after the failed coup on September 21. Last week, tens of thousands of Sudanese marched through several cities in support of the full transfer of power to civilians, and to counter a rival multi-day sit-in outside the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum, which demanded a return to the "Military regime".

Abdallah Hamdok has previously described the divisions within the transitional government as the "most serious and dangerous crisis" facing the transition.

On Saturday, Abdallah Hamdok denied rumors that he had accepted a cabinet reshuffle, calling them "not accurate".

The Prime Minister also "underlined that he did not monopolize the right to decide the fate of the transitional institutions".

Street protests are no match for factions

Also on Saturday, the United States' special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, jointly met with Abdallah Hamdok, the chairman of the ruling body of Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary commander. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

"Jeffrey Feltman underlined the United States' support for a civil democratic transition, in accordance with the wishes expressed by the Sudanese people," said the United States embassy in Khartoum.

Analysts say the recent mass protests show strong support for a civilian-led democracy, but the street protests are likely to have little impact on powerful factions pushing for a return to military rule.

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