Abdul Sadiq, Author at Sky News Africa

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sky news africa Sudan said it reopened its airspace Wednesday after an armed revolt from within its security forces shut down the capital’s airport for hours and left at least two people dead. In a press conference, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the country’s ruling transitional council, announced that “life has returned to normal,” following a tense stand-off between the armed forces and rogue intelligence officers. The officers had fired shots in the air to demand better severance benefits. Sudan’s petroleum minister declared the resumption of oil production at two fields that had been seized by rebellious officers. The airport authority in neighboring Egypt said it was resuming all flights to Sudan, following a two-day suspension over security concerns. The burst of unrest had paralyzed street life in several parts of the capital, Khartoum, along with another western city. Videos circulated on social media showing vast deployment of security forces and heavy exchanges of gunfire. The armed forces will “not allow any coup to occur,” said Burhan, adding that it was a “shame that weapons were raised in the faces of the people.” The army quickly quelled the short-lived mutiny with “minimal losses,” said General Mohamed Othman al-Hussein, its chief of staff on Wednesday. The clashes killed two people and injured four others, including two officers, he added. The doctors’ union reported that a father and his two children were killed when an errant artillery shell struck their home in a Khartoum suburb. The father was killed instantly, it said, and his 19-year-old daughter and 25-year-old son died on the way to the hospital. The different death tolls could not immediately be reconciled. After trying to persuade the renegade officers to turn over their arms, the military stormed and retook the headquarters of an intelligence agency “using the least amount of force possible,” al-Hussein said. The mutiny was the latest twist in Sudan’s fragile democratic transition after three decades of authoritarian rule under former President Omar al-Bashir. A sweeping protest movement ousted al-Bashir in April and led to the creation of a joint military-civilian government last summer. During the transitional period, Sudan is devising ways to reorganize its armed forces. The program, al-Hussein said, requires dismantling an intelligence agency branch and merging it with a paramilitary unit known as the Rapid Support Forces, notorious for their brutal suppression of insurgencies in Sudan’s restive provinces. Unrest ensued as angry intelligence officers, who were dismissed without receiving what they considered fair compensation, took to the streets. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok described the mutiny as “discord” aimed at “cutting off the nation’s transition to building a solid democracy.” The disturbance, revealing simmering tensions within Sudan’s security apparatus, poses a tough test for the newly formed government’s democratic and economic goals. “Sudan needs to figure out how to dismantle the deep state’s security forces and deal with their members,” said Cairo-based political analyst Saeed Sadek. “They are powerful, capable of creating civil war and subverting the transition.”

Crime

Sudan mutiny claims two lives: normalcy restored, airspace reopened

Abdul Sadiq - January 16, 2020

Sudan names commission to probe killings

Crime

Sudan names commission to probe killings

Abdul Sadiq - October 21, 2019

South Sudan's Kiir, Machar agree to form interim govt by Nov 12

Politics

South Sudan’s Kiir, Machar agree to form interim govt by Nov...

Abdul Sadiq - September 11, 2019

U.N. keeps sanctions on persons blocking peace in Mali

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U.N. keeps sanctions on persons blocking peace in Mali

Abdul Sadiq - August 30, 2019

Sudan floods death toll reaches 62, about 100 people injured

News

Sudan floods death toll reaches 62, about 100 people injured

Abdul Sadiq - August 27, 2019

Sudan needs $8 billion in aid to rebuild economy

Business

Sudan needs $8 billion in aid to rebuild economy

Abdul Sadiq - August 25, 2019

Sudan's new PM to prioritize peace and economic alleviation

Politics

Sudan’s new PM to prioritize peace and economic alleviation

Abdul Sadiq - August 22, 2019

Sudan's opposition coalition, military council sign accord on transitional government

News

Sudan’s opposition coalition, military council sign accord on transitional government

Abdul Sadiq - August 17, 2019

Uganda's military gets boost from Canada and Japan

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Uganda’s military gets boost from Canada and Japan

Abdul Sadiq - August 17, 2019

87 killed, 168 wounded in Sudan's deadly crackdown

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87 killed, 168 wounded in Sudan’s deadly crackdown

Abdul Sadiq - July 28, 2019

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