Sudanese social media widely circulated the image and name of television broadcast engineer Ali Omar, known as "Al-Habo," in the hours following the failed coup attempt that occurred early Tuesday morning. But what is the story of this young engineer and his involvement in the coup?
When the coup operation began during the early hours of Wednesday, Al-Habo was covering his regular shift inside one of the studios at the national television. He was surprised by the entrance of three military officers into the studio, who informed him that army forces had taken control of all military sites and requested him to cut the normal broadcast and replace it with military music in preparation for the first coup statement. However, he refused to comply unless he received a written order from his supervisor. Fortunately for Al-Habo, only a minute had passed since the incident when the officers received orders via telephone to leave the studio, indicating the apparent failure of the coup attempt.
Al-Habo told Sky News Arabia that he refused to respond to the representative of the coup group because he had not received any instructions to change the pre-planned programming from the general director of the broadcasting corporation. He added, "I told the officer politely that I would not be able to fulfill their request unless I received a written order from the television director."
### Unusual Interactions
Al-Habo confirmed that the military group that stormed the studio treated him unexpectedly in such circumstances, explaining that "the strange thing was that they spoke to me kindly and did not threaten or force me to carry out their orders." But chance also played a role, as Al-Habo said, "While I was continuing to hold my position, one of them received a phone call, and they quickly exited the building... I do not know what would have happened if they had insisted on their request or had not been asked to withdraw."
### Doubts About the Account
Some activists questioned Al-Habo's account, wondering how an armed group could enter television buildings and fail to broadcast the military coup statement. Nonetheless, Al-Habo remained committed to his story, stating, "I have no interest in distorting the facts, and I am not responsible for how the group entered the television buildings, which is a matter for the group that secures the broadcasting buildings, a group that is large and equipped with weapons and substantial gear."
