January 1, US ‘deeply alarmed’ over reported military coup in Sudan

The US is “deeply alarmed” over reports of an apparent military coup in Sudan shortly after the Biden administration’s special envoy encouraged cooperation between civilian and military leaders of its transitional government.

After reports that Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, and other senior government officials, had been detained, thousands of protestors flooded the streets.

“The US is deeply alarmed at reports of a military take-over of the transitional government,” US Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman tweeted. “This would contravene the Constitutional Declaration and the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people and is utterly unacceptable.”

“As we have said repeatedly, any changes to the transitional government by force puts at risk US assistance.”

As a result of the coup, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the US was halting $700 million in economic assistance.

Top lawmakers on Senate and House committees on foreign relations issued a joint statement condemning the group and the detention of government officials.

The lawmakers wrote that the military takeover “represents the dissolution of the historic political agreement between Sudan’s military leaders and civilian groups that put Sudan on the path towards democratic transition, and threatens progress toward mending our relationship with Sudan in recent years.”

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US ‘deeply alarmed’ by reports of military takeover in Sudan