Background:
Army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced a state of emergency in Sudan hours after Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was placed under house arrest along with other senior government officials. The arrests come after a failed coup attempt in September and weeks of rising tensions between Sudan’s civilian and military leaders.
Sudan is the 3rd largest country in Africa by area and is strategically positioned on the Red Sea which links European and Asian waters. It is also one of the world’s busiest waterways. A deal was signed in late 2020 allowing Russia to establish a naval base in the Port of Sudan, a first for Russia in Africa.
In the early 1990s, when Osama bin Laden was thrown out of his native Saudi Arabia, he moved across the Red Sea to Sudan. He was expelled from Sudan in 1996 and returned to Afghanistan.
Islam was the Sudan's state religion and Islamic laws applied from 1983 until 2020 when the country became a secular state.
Thousands of Americans live and work in Sudan.
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October 25, 2021
Security Alert: Update on Security Situation in Sudan
Location: Khartoum, Sudan and around the country
Event: Sudanese Armed Forces have announced they are in control of the government. Demonstrations have been reported in Khartoum and around the country. There are unverified reports of violence against protesters. Flights are not leaving the country.
American citizens are advised to be aware of their surroundings and shelter in place, which includes not traveling to the U.S. Embassy or the international airports in Khartoum and Port Said.
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