AU, UN Condemn Failed Coup Attempt in Sudan

A general view shows the skyline of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. (AFP)
A general view shows the skyline of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. (AFP)
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AU, UN Condemn Failed Coup Attempt in Sudan

A general view shows the skyline of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. (AFP)
A general view shows the skyline of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. (AFP)

The United Nations has condemned the failed coup attempt that took place in Sudan on Tuesday.

“In my capacity as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN and Head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, I unequivocally condemn the attempted military coup,” said Volker Perthes.

“The UN condemns any attempt - whether a coup or otherwise - to undermine the democratic political transition process and the pluralistic nature of the state as stipulated in the constitutional declaration,” he affirmed.

“The UN rejects any calls for a military coup or the replacement of the transitional government with military rule,” he stressed.

Perthes also reiterated the UN’s continued commitment to assist, advise and support inclusive civilian governance in Sudan.

He underlined the need for the continued commitment of all stakeholders to an inclusive transition process and to realize the aspirations of the Sudanese people towards a peaceful, stable, and democratic future.

Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat strongly condemned the aborted power grab and congratulated the Sudanese people on its failure.

“I strongly urge to adhere to the legitimate authorities of the transitional period, which stems from the will of all national forces, civilian or military,” stressed Faki.

Sudan’s army commander and head of the sovereign council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited the military camp in south Khartoum where the attempted putsch reportedly began.

“Had it succeeded, the attempt could have had devastating consequences on the unity of the army, security forces, and the country,” he said.

Burhan called on all political forces to unite to build Sudan and protect its security and stability as it is a joint responsibility between the military and civilians.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said the coup attempt was the “latest manifestation of the national crisis”, referring to deep divisions during Sudan’s move to democracy.



Israeli Strike Kills Senior Rescue Service Official in Gaza as Fighting Rages

An internally displaced Palestinian child who fled with his family from the northern Gaza Strip stands outside their shelter in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza Strip, 07 September 2024. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian child who fled with his family from the northern Gaza Strip stands outside their shelter in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza Strip, 07 September 2024. (EPA)
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Israeli Strike Kills Senior Rescue Service Official in Gaza as Fighting Rages

An internally displaced Palestinian child who fled with his family from the northern Gaza Strip stands outside their shelter in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza Strip, 07 September 2024. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian child who fled with his family from the northern Gaza Strip stands outside their shelter in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza Strip, 07 September 2024. (EPA)

An Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia on Sunday killed Mohammad Morsi, deputy director of the Gaza Civil Emergency Service in the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, and four of his family, health officials said.

The Civil Emergency Service said in a statement that Morsi's death raised to 83 the number of its members killed by Israeli fire since Oct. 7.

There was no immediate Israeli comment on Morsi's death.

Residents said Israeli forces had also blown up several houses in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City 5 km from Jabalia. Medical teams said they were unable to answer desperate calls by some of the residents who had reported being trapped inside their houses, some wounded.

"We hear constant bombing in Zeitoun, we know they are blowing up houses there, we don't sleep because of the sounds of explosions, the roaring of tanks sound close and the drones don't stop circling," said one resident of Gaza City, who lives around 1 km away.

"The occupation is wiping out Zeitoun, we are afraid about the people trapped in there," he told Reuters via a chat app, refusing to be named.

Israel and Hamas continued to blame one another for the failure of mediators, including Qatar, Egypt and the US, to broker a ceasefire. The US is preparing to present a new proposal, but the prospects of a breakthrough appear dim as gaps between the sides' positions remain large.

Meanwhile on Sunday the United Nations, in collaboration with local health authorities, extended by a day a campaign to vaccinate children in the southern Gaza Strip against polio before it moves on Monday to the north.

The campaign aims to vaccinate 640,000 children in Gaza after its first polio case in around 25 years. Limited pauses in the fighting have allowed the campaign to proceed.

UN officials said they were making progress, having reached more than half of the children needing the drops in the first two stages in the southern and central Gaza Strip. A second round of vaccination will be required four weeks after the first.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when the Hamas group attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 40,900 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while also displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to genocide allegations at the World Court, which Israel denies.

The Palestinian health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants in its casualty reports, but health officials say that most of the fatalities have been civilians.

Israel, which has lost 340 soldiers in Gaza, says at least a third of the Palestinian dead are fighters.