Refusing To Support Armed Forces Coup, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok Detained And Taken By Army

Perdana Menteri Sudan Abdalla Hamdok. (Wikimedia Commons/Ola A.Alsheikh)

JAKARTA - Military forces detained at least five senior figures in Sudan's government, putting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok under house arrest on Monday, officials said, as the country's main pro-democracy group called on people to take to the streets to fight a military coup.

According to Al-Hadath TV, Industry Minister Ibrahim al-Sheikh, Information Minister Hamza Baloul and media adviser to the prime minister, Faisal Mohammed Saleh were among those arrested. The spokesman for the Sudanese Ruling Council, Mohammed al-Fiky Suliman, and the governor of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Ayman Khalid, were also detained.

"Civil members of the transitional sovereign council and a number of ministers from the transitional government have been detained by the joint military forces," the information ministry said in a statement on Facebook, citing the Oct. 25 Daily Sabah.

"They have been taken to an unknown location," the ministry added. It said PM Hamdok was detained on Monday, after refusing to support the armed forces' coup.

It said the armed forces detained Hamdok on Monday after he refused to support their coup.

"After he refused to be part of the coup, troops from the army detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and took him to an unknown location," the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), a group leading demands for a transition to democracy, said there were blackouts of internet and phone signals across the country. He urged people in a press release to reject the army's attempts to seize power.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Khartoum and its sister city Omdurman. Footage shared online showed protesters blocking roads and burning tires, as security forces used tear gas to disperse them.

A possible military takeover would be a major setback for Sudan, which has grappled with a transition to democracy since longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir was ousted by mass protests.

Monday's arrests came after weeks of escalating tensions between Sudan's civilian and military leaders. A failed coup attempt in September left the country fractured along old lines, pitting conservatives who wanted military rule against those who toppled Umar al-Bashir more than two years ago in mass protests.

PM Hamdok's whereabouts were not immediately clear, amid media reports that security forces were stationed outside his home in Khartoum. Photos circulating online show men in uniform standing in the dark, allegedly near his home.