Following the removal of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, several countries have registered their pleasure and displeasure at the news. Here, we gather some of the more vocal and controversial responses to Sudan from the international sphere as former President al-Bashir seeks refuge elsewhere.
According to Arab News: “The US said it supported a peaceful and democratic Sudan and believes the Sudanese people should be allowed a peaceful transition sooner than two years from now.
“The Sudanese people should determine who leads them in their future,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said. “The Sudanese people have been clear that they have been demanding a civilian-led transition.”
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said two years of potential military rule in Sudan “is not the answer” for “real change” in the country.
Hunt tweeted that Sudan needs “a swift move to an inclusive, representative, civilian leadership” and an end to violence.”
The US and five European countries — France, UK, Germany, Belgium and Poland — called for a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan, which will be a closed-door session to be held on Friday. The European Union has called for a peaceful and civilian transition.
In South Africa, the Times Live reports that: “Many in the South African Sudanese community welcomed the news that President Omar al-Bashir, the man who had held on to power for 30 years, had been overthrown. But for many, it wasn’t time to celebrate just yet.
Bakhit Arbab had only one wish on Thursday, April 11 as he watched images of his jubilant countrymen celebrating the fall of the three-decades-long dictatorship in Khartoum, Sudan. He wanted to hear the news that his father Abdulhammed had been released from the Omdurman prison.
Arbab, like many other Sudanese in South Africa, was closely following developments in his mother country. Earlier in the day, there had been reports that political prisoners would be released.
“I just wish, I just wish that he will be released today,” said Arbab, who lives in Delft in the Western Cape, according to a report on Newframe.com.”
In Nigeria, the country’s foreign minister spoke with BBC Pidgin, saying that Sudan should restore constitutional order as the military took over from former President Omar al-Bashir.
