Sudan: Prime Minister Placed Under House Arrest

The office of the Sudanese Prime Minister announced to "Sky News Arabia" that Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok has been placed under house arrest. A reporter from "Sky News Arabia" in Sudan informed that the Prime Minister will issue a statement soon. Early in the morning, the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, witnessed a heavy military presence, coinciding with a wave of arrests targeting political figures and party leaders in Sudan. The reporter clarified that a military force, comprising several military branches, arrested a number of ministers from Hamdok's government, including Minister of Information Hamza Balol, Minister of Industry Ibrahim Sheikh, and Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khalid Omar Yusuf, in addition to political and party figures and civilian members of the Sovereign Council. The family of the Prime Minister's media advisor reported that military forces arrested advisor Faisal Muhammad Saleh after storming his home. The reporter also confirmed the arrest of the Secretary-General of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, Ali Al-Rih Al-Sannouri. For its part, the Sudanese Ministry of Information stated that "members of the Transitional Sovereign Council from the civilian component have been arrested," adding that "a number of ministers from the transitional government were also arrested by joint military forces." Additionally, reports indicated that roads and bridges in Khartoum have been closed, effectively isolating key areas of the Sudanese capital from each other.