Russia considered, on Tuesday, that what happened in Sudan the day before “may be a transfer of power and not a military coup ,” accusing those who reject the army’s control of the reins of power in Khartoum of “committing acts of violence.”
This came in statements made by the Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky , moments before the start of a closed consultation session of the UN Security Council on the developments in Sudan.
Polyansky said: “Why do we say about what happened in Sudan a military coup? Why is it not a transfer of power? We have seen that before (..) in Sudan two years ago when the move was made to oust former President Omar al-Bashir.”
On Tuesday, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, reiterated his strong condemnation of the “military seizing power by force in Sudan”, and called on the major powers in the UN Security Council to take a unified deterrent stance.
On accusing the forces facing the demonstrations of “committing acts of violence”, Polyansky added: “Violence is perpetrated by two parties,” noting that the protesters are doing the same.
Polyansky ruled out the issuance of any statements from the Security Council session on Sudan.
Before he added, “I have heard about ideas (meaning his counterparts in the Security Council) regarding what happened in Sudan, but I have not seen anything written that could amount to a statement issued by the members of the Council.”
On Moscow’s position on Guterres’ invitation, Polyansky said: “Normally the Secretary-General should not criticize the members of this council, and I understand his words as being very concerned, like all of us, about what happened in Sudan.”
The Security Council consists of 15 countries, including five permanent members: the United States of America, Britain, France, China and Russia.
For the second day in a row, the capital, Khartoum, and the rest of the country’s states are witnessing, on Tuesday, demonstrations against what the protesters consider a “military coup”.
And on Monday, the Sudanese army arrested party leaders, ministers, and the Prime Minister, Abdullah Hamdok, and its leader, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, announced the dissolution of the Sovereignty Councils and the Transitional Ministers, and pledged to form an independent government of competencies, as well as declaring a state of emergency, dismissing governors, and non-compliance with some provisions of the constitutional document on managing the transitional phase.
Before “releasing” Hamdok, and returning to his home on Tuesday evening, according to what his office and local media reported.
