Sudan arrests 3 activist as international pressure mounts on military

Cairo: Sudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures, family members and activists said Wednesday, as international pressure mounted on the country's military to walk back the coup it staged earlier this week.

The overnight arrests in the capital Khartoum came a few hours after the military allowed deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife to return home.

Hamdok, a former U.N. economist, was detained along with many government officials and political figures when the military seized power on Monday. The military takeover threatens to halt Sudan's fitful transition to democracy which got under way after the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in a popular uprising.

The new strongman, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has pledged to hold elections, as planned, in July 2023, and to appoint a technocrat government in the meantime. But critics doubt the military is serious about eventually ceding control to civilian rule.

The coup came just weeks before Burhan was supposed to hand over the leadership of the top ruling body, the Sovereign Council, to a civilian.

The council is made up of civilians and members of the military.