The US Senate has unanimously passed legislation condemning the October 25, 2021 coup in Sudan.
All council members voted in favor of the bill, with little or no objection when it was introduced for voting in Congress on Wednesday.
According to the non-binding legislation’s text, Congress stands with the people of Sudan in their democratic aspirations.
It called for Sudan’s military junta to “immediately release all civilian government officials, civil society members, and other individuals detained in connection with the coup.”
It underscored the need to ensure that security forces respect the right to peaceful protest and hold those who used excessive force and committed other abuses accountable in a transparent, credible process.
It further urged the military council to cease all attempts to change the civilian composition of the cabinet, Sovereign Council, and other government bodies and called on junta leaders to return immediately to the rule of law as set forth by the transitional constitution.
The legislation also called on the Secretary of State to immediately identify coup leaders, their accomplices, and enablers for consideration for targeted sanctions and coordinate with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and other Federal Government agencies to pause all non-humanitarian bilateral assistance to Sudan until the restoration of the transitional constitutional order.
It called on international partners to join the United States' efforts to impose targeted sanctions on the junta and other accomplices to the coup, monitor, discourage and deter any effort by external parties to support the junta.
It stressed the need to suspend Sudan’s participation in all regional multilateral organizations until Sudan is returned to constitutional rule under the transitional constitution.
