Germany condemns coup attempt in Sudan

BERLIN (AA) – Germany on Monday condemned the coup attempt in Sudan and urged the country’s military to respect the peaceful transition process towards democracy.

“Reports of another coup attempt in Sudan is disturbing, this attempt must be clearly condemned,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement.

He called on the country’s security forces to return to their barracks immediately.

“I call on all those responsible for the security and the state order in Sudan to respect the will of the people, continue the peaceful political transition process towards democracy. This attempted coup must be stopped immediately,” he said.

Maas also called on Sudan’s political leaders to resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue.

“They owe this to the people of Sudan who fought for an end to the dictatorship and for democratic change,” he said.

Sudan's military arrested the country's prime minister and members of the civilian government, officials in the capital Khartoum announced early Monday.

The Ministry of Culture and Information’s official account said the military arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after he refused to support what it described as a "coup".

After a failed military coup last month, deep tensions between the military and civilian administration erupted in Sudan.

The country is currently administered by a Sovereign Council of military and civilian authorities, which oversees 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 (FFC) coalition.