The international threat that was created after the military came to power in Sudan was reinforced again towards the end of the week.

For the first time, the American President Joe Biden made a public statement on the events on Monday.

"The civilian-led government must be reinstated," said Thursday's statement;

those arrested must be released.

Then the international community will continue to support Sudan's transition to democracy.

Biden spoke of an "overwhelming and clear message" sent out by the international community in condemning the seizure of power and violence against civilians.

Christian Meier

Editor in politics.

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Also on Thursday evening, the UN Security Council called for the restoration of the transitional government, the immediate release of those arrested and compliance with the agreements made by the military and civil forces in the summer of 2019.

In the declaration, which was unanimously adopted, the panel expressed "great concern about the takeover of power by the military".

A more sharply formulated draft resolution had apparently previously failed due to opposition from Russia and China in particular.

Moscow's deputy UN ambassador had said the Sudanese would have to decide for themselves whether it would be a coup.

Pressure on army chief

Despite the weakened statement, the Sudanese army leader, Abd al-Fattah al-Burhan, is under considerable international pressure. The Arab League, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have also spoken out clearly against the coup he led. The African Union suspended Sudan's membership. The World Bank stopped its aid payments, which should hit the poor country hard.

From the outset, al-Burhan tried to portray the disempowerment of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his government as an inevitable rescue act for a country that was being driven into civil war by political forces. However, this rhetoric apparently did not catch on. On Friday, al-Burhan announced that he would appoint a new head of government within a week. This should be a "technocrat", said the army chief of the Russian state agency Ria Novosti. There are no candidates yet.

At the same time, the army leadership was evidently considering reassigning the deposed Prime Minister Hamdok to lead the government. Al-Burhan is aware that he has to present a credible figure in order to take the wind out of the sails of international criticism, the Bloomberg news agency wrote, citing people familiar with the matter. Hamdok is such a figure. The 65-year-old economist was arrested on Monday along with several members of the government. He was released under house arrest on Tuesday evening.

The mixed reports suggest that the military either had no clear plan for what to do after the coup or was surprised by the vehemence of the resistance.

It comes not only from abroad, but also from supporters of the civilian forces in the country and from parts of the government apparatus.

State television under the control of the military announced on Thursday the dismissal of several Sudanese diplomats.

The ambassadors in Washington, Brussels, Geneva, Paris, Beijing and Doha had previously announced “resistance” to the “brutal military coup” in a joint communication.

Again demonstrations

There are still protests in the country itself.

Security forces sometimes used tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes between demonstrators.

The influential doctors' union called for a strike and a large demonstration this Saturday.

According to media reports, the traffic and internet blockades imposed by the military on Monday have been eased slightly.

At the same time, there are reports that numerous politicians, opposition activists, democracy activists and journalists have been arrested, usually by armed men in civilian clothes.

Some were later released, while others have disappeared for the time being.