Sudan: Tanks Appear in Khartoum After Arrest of Generals and Security
Officers
23 November 2012
Khartoum - The Sudan government has arrested at least 14 high ranked army
and security officials and several civilians connected to the ruling party
of president Omar Al Bashir for an allegedly coupe attempt.
Radio Dabanga reports on Thursday, 22 November, that tanks were roaming the
Ebed Khatim-road south of the Kober-bridge in Khartoum where many top
officers including the president and vice-president are residing.
It is the first time that internal clashes within the ruling Islamic
movements erupted to the surface. The movement sidetracked the leader of the
Islamic movement, Ali Osman Taha, the vice-president of Sudan.
He was replaced by Zubair Ahmed Hassan, a Minister of Economic Affairs. The
government spokesman said in a public appearance today that the
'coup'-stagers took disadvantage from rumors about the 'health situation of
President Omar Al Bashir'.
Amongst the arrested people are retired major general Salah Abdalla Gosh
(former security chief), general Adil Altayeb of the Sudan Armed Forces and
Brigadier-general 'Wad' Mohamed Ibrahim. He was in charge to protect the oil
fields in Kordofan (Heglig), but it failed after the Southern army walked in
easily occupying the oil-wells preventing it from exploration. Only this
week the first oil started to flow again.
According to a security spokesperson for Radio Dabanga, the main suspects of
the alleged coup were arrested Thursday morning at 01:00, other arrests
followed before sunrise. The spokesman of the government, the minister of
Information Ahmed Bilal Osman said that the authorities discovered the
'coup'-attempt 'a long time ago'. "They initially want to do it last
Thursday, but they decided a week later. We arrested them to prevent a
bloodshed", Ahmed Bilal told the press.
Radio Dabanga received information that besides the 13 people mentioned by
the minister at least one other army officer had been arrested early today.
The minister said the population should remain calm: "Everything is okay and
the coup will not affect the Sudanese army, the security organs and the
Popular Defense Forces. We intercepted communication about this coup. Let it
be a warning: don't go far with rumors'.
