Sudan coup: US calls for ‘immediate release’ of civilian government

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US is ‘deeply alarmed’ by reports of a coup in Khartoum

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the US is “deeply alarmed at reports” that the Sudanese military has seized power and detained the country’s transitional government.

On Monday, Sudanese military General Abdel-Fattah Burhan announced he was dissolving the country’s civilian government after Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdock and other senior officials were placed under arrest.

Asked whether President Joe Biden had been briefed, Ms Jean-Pierre said he had and added: “We reject the actions by the military and call for the immediate release of the Prime Minister and others who have been placed under house arrest”.

She called the Sudanese military’s actions “in stark opposition to the will of the Sudanese people and their aspirations for peace, liberty and justice,” and said the US “continues to strongly support the Sudanese people's demand for a democratic transition in Sudan“.

Ms Jean-Pierre added that the Biden administration will “continue to evaluate how to best help the Sudanese people achieve this goal”.