Coup in Sudan

By: Collin Hunnicutt

    A coup was launched in Sudan on October 25 by a general of the Sudanese army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. A coup is defined by Oxford Dictionary as “a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government.” This has left the military in control of the Sudanese government. The coup was sparked due to the conflict between people of authority who want the coup to succeed as a dictatorship vs the popular citizen opinion who want to keep democracy. Many Americans are unaware of this event, even though the American government has been involved. 

    In the New York Times article “They Lied,” the early American involvement is explained. U.S. ambassador Jeffrey Feltmon had been in talks with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and prime minister Abdalla Hamdok. With no indication that a coup would take place, Jeffrey Feltmon left the country. As he landed in Qatar, he was alerted that a coup had started. 

    The aftermath of the coup is detailed in the Al Jazeera article “Sudan coup leader agrees with US to speed up new gov’t formation.” Government officials and politicians are being held by the military. Abdalla Hamdok was released on October 27. 

 The article mentions that Michelle Brachelet, the former president of Chile, asked for an end to the deadly force being used in the protests. At least 13 civilians have been killed because of the coup and more have been injured. 

  The article continues to say that the U.S., along with other members of the United Nations, are in talks with al-Burhan and the Sudanese military in hopes of reestablishing a democratic government. Currently al-Burhan says he will return the nation’s government back to normal when the 2023 elections come, but the UN wants the government to return to normal as soon as possible. 

    This coup, as bad as it may seem, is not out of the ordinary. Since 2010, there have been 41 coup attempts in Africa. Three of these have been in Sudan, including another successful attempt in 2019. Americans need to become aware of events of this nature, because their impact has lasting impacts on not only the countries they take place in, but the world.