Sudanese PM returns home; some other leaders still detained

Sudanese security forces keep watch as they protect a military hospital and government offices during protests against a military coup overthrowing the transition to civilian rule on October 25, in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman. Pic/AFP

Detained Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was released the same day as army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan said the state of emergency could be lifted soon. Hamdok's office announced on Tuesday that Hamdok has returned home with his wife under tight security, while some other ministers and civilian leaders remained detained.

They were arrested on Monday, as Al-Burhan, general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, declared a state of emergency across the country, dissolved the transitional Sovereign Council and the government, and relieved the state governors, saying that the differences among the partners of the transitional period in Sudan had pushed the armed forces to intervene to prevent the country from sliding into chaos, news agency Xinhua reported.

However, the army chief denied the "arrest" of Hamdok, saying the prime minister was staying at Al-Burhan's house and was safe, until being released. During a press conference on Tuesday, Al-Burhan said that "the state of emergency will be cancelled as soon as the institutions are formed," adding that Internet and communication services would resume gradually.

3 pro-democracy figures detained

Sudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures, family members and activists said on Wednesday, as international pressure mounted on the country's military to walk back the coup it staged earlier this week. The overnight arrests in the capital Khartoum came a few hours after the military allowed deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife to return home. Hamdok, a former UN economist, was detained along with many government officials and political figures when the military seized power on Monday.

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