The European Union on Sunday (November 14) condemned the violent suppression of protesters in Sudan, protesting last month’s coup that killed six people, and demanded the release of detainees, including journalists.
The EU calls on the military government that came to power on October 25 to “return to the path of fair and open dialogue with civilians, as they did in August 2019”.
In a statement by a spokesperson for the EU’s highest diplomat Jose Puborel, the 27-member EU warned that if the EU continues to provide support, it will face “serious consequences”.
On Sunday, Sudanese security forces increased their pressure on the media and arrested Al Jazeera’s Khartoum bureau chief.
The EU statement reiterated its “call for the release of all detainees arrested since the coup, including journalists.”
“We will hold the authorities accountable for human rights violations and lack of protection of civilians since the end of the democratic transition process,” it said.
Saturday was one of the bloodiest days since the Supreme General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan overthrew the government, detained the civilian leadership and declared a state of emergency.
According to the medical union, two teenagers were among the victims.
Sudan has a long history of military coups. Since its independence in 1956, it has only experienced a rare democratic rule.
The October 25 coup disrupted the transition to full civil rule, sparked international condemnation and triggered regular protests.
It triggered punitive measures by Western countries and the World Bank, endangering the sources of investment and aid in poor countries.
Although the Internet interruption forced demonstrators to communicate through graffiti and text messages, protests including tens of thousands of people across the country on Saturday continued.
On Thursday, despite calls from the West, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to return to a civilian-led transitional government, Burhan announced the establishment of a new military-civilian governing committee under his chairmanship.
It excludes any members of the forces of freedom and change. It is an umbrella alliance, a major group seeking a transition to civil rule.
Burhan insisted that the military’s action on October 25 was “not a coup” but a “correction of the transition process.”
