African Union suspends Sudan participation

The African Union (AU) said it had suspended Sudan's participation in its activities until the country's civilian transitional government "is restored". The AU said in a statement on Wednesday that its Peace and Security Council took the decision to suspend Sudan's participation in all activities of the organisation. The Sudanese military detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and several other cabinet ministers on Monday.

In protest against the military takeover, thousands of people have taken to the streets and several have been killed in clashes with security forces. The head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, however, declared a state of emergency and dissolved the council and government. Meanwhile, state oil company workers and doctors in the country said on Wednesday they were joining the protests against the military coup which they said had derailed the country's planned transition to democracy.

A group of neighbourhood committees in the capital Khartoum has announced plans for further protests leading to what it said would be a "march of millions" on Saturday. In one Khartoum neighbourhood on Wednesday, a Reuters journalist saw soldiers and armed people in civilian clothes removing barricades erected by protesters. A few hundred metres away, youths came out to build barricades again minutes later. One of them said that they want civilian rule. They would not get tired.

Burhan on Tuesday defended the military's seizure of power, saying he had ousted the government to avoid civil war. He has dismissed the joint civilian-military council that had been set up to steer the country to democratic elections following the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising in April 2019.