UN chief calls for restoration of legitimacy in Sudan

Secretary General of United Nations Antonio Guterres in Brussels, Belgium on June 23, 2021 [Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency]

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for restoring the “legitimate constitutional arrangements” in Sudan, Anadolu Agency reported.

In a statement, Guterres hailed the Sudanese people who “peacefully protested military rule” on Saturday against the measures taken by the Sudanese army to dissolve the civilian government.

“The [Sudanese] military should take heed. Time to go back to the legitimate constitutional arrangements,” Guterres said.

He warned against targeting civilians and using violence against them, stressing that “perpetrators must be brought to justice.”

Three protesters were killed and dozens injured on Saturday during mass protests against the military takeover in Sudan.

KHARTOUM, SUDAN - OCTOBER 30: Sudanese people stage a demonstration demanding the end of the military intervention and the transfer of administration to civilians in Khartoum, Sudan on October 30, 2021. ( Mahmoud Hjaj - Anadolu Agency )

Sudanese people stage a demonstration demanding the end of the military intervention and the transfer of administration to civilians in Khartoum, Sudan on October 30, 2021. [Mahmoud Hjaj – Anadolu Agency]

On Oct. 25, Sudan’s ruling military council announced a state of emergency and dissolved the transitional sovereign council and government, hours after detaining Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and ministers in his civilian government. It also suspended some provisions of the constitutional document outlining the political transition in Sudan.

The move came amid escalating tensions between the military and the civilian administration following a failed military coup last month.

Before the military takeover, Sudan was administered by a sovereign council of military and civilian officials, which oversaw the transition period until elections slated for 2023, as part of a precarious power-sharing pact between the military and the Forces for Freedom and Change coalition.

READ: Sudanese popular committees announce anti-coup measures

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