Blinken ask Sudanese Army to release all detainees including PM Hamdok, return to constitutional order

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday (local time) asked the Sudanese Army to release all those in detention, including Prime Minister Hamdok, and return to the constitutional order.

Expressing concern over the announcement of a unilateral Sovereign Council in Sudan, Blinken said that Sudan must return to the constitutional order.

"The U.S. is gravely concerned by the announcement of a unilateral Sovereign Council in Sudan. Instead of actions that destabilize and polarize the country, the military must release all those in detention, including Prime Minister Hamdok, and return to the constitutional order," he said in a tweet.

A statement issued by the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and Switzerland also expressed concern by the purported appointment of Sudan's Sovereign Council in violation of the 2019 Constitutional Declaration.

"This unilateral action by the military undermines its commitment to uphold the agreed transitional framework, which requires that civilian members of the Sovereign Council be nominated by the Forces for Freedom and Change, and complicates efforts to put Sudan's democratic transition back on track. It runs contrary to the aspirations of the Sudanese people and the political and economic stability of the country," it said.

"We strongly urge against further escalatory steps and again call for the immediate restoration of Prime Minister Hamdok and the civilian-led transitional government. We urge the immediate release of all those detained since October 25 and the lifting of the state of emergency to allow for genuine and constructive dialogue," the statement read.

"We remind Sudan's military leaders that they supported the end of authoritarian rule in 2019, and that international support is predicated on a successful democratic transition in line with the Constitutional Declaration. We urge an immediate and full return to this path to ensure that the hard-won political and economic gains of the last two years are not lost.

We also call on the security services to respect the rights of Sudanese citizens to freely express their views without fear of violence or detention," it read further.

( With inputs from ANI )

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