The state of emergency won’t deter civilians

The only surprise in the televised speech by Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was the announcement of the state of emergency.

This now paves the way for more measures to be introduced under the pretext of emergency rule.

When the state of emergency was enforced during the final days of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, and later by the military council, many political figures and journalists were arrested.

But when it comes to the coup itself, a lot of political observers were expecting what we saw today in Sudan. Even ordinary people were anticipating that something would happen.

Gen Burhan and other army leaders have been expressing clear dissatisfaction lately in the power-sharing agreement with civilians.

He had repeatedly said that deep divisions in the council, and the recent protests and sit-ins by civilians, were creating a state of chaos in the country.

For him, what happened today was about getting the transitional period in Sudan back on track.

But the civilian-led protest movement disagrees with this view, as the number of demonstrators on the street, which is expected to increase, attests to.

The Sudanese people have proven more than once that a state of emergency will not stop them from taking to the streets to set out their demands.