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Sudan’s Prime Minister, Detained After Coup, Returns Home
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4 years agoon
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Sudan’s deposed prime minister and his wife were allowed to return home Tuesday, a day after they were detained when the military seized power in a coup, according to a statement issued by his office.
The release of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and his wife followed international condemnation of the coup and calls for the military to release all the government officials who were detained when Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan seized power on Monday.
The statement by Hamdok’s office said other government officials remained in detention, their locations unknown. The deposed prime minister and his wife were under “heavy security” at home in the upscale Kafouri neighborhood of the capital Khartoum, said a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The official did not say whether they were free to leave or make calls.
Earlier in the day, Burhan said Hamdok had been held for his own safety and would be released. But he warned that other members of the dissolved government could face trial as protests against the putsch continued in the streets.
The military seized power in a move that was widely denounced abroad. On Tuesday, pro-democracy demonstrators blocked roads in the capital with makeshift barricades and burning tires. Troops fired on crowds a day earlier, killing four protesters, according to doctors.
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In his second public appearance since seizing power, Burhan said the military was forced to step in to resolve a growing political crisis.
“There were people who were talking about discriminating against others, and that was driving this country to reach a civil war that would lead to the fragmentation of this country, tearing apart its unity, its fabric and society. These dangers were in front of us,” Burhan told a televised news conference.
But the coup came less than a month before Burhan was supposed to hand the leadership of the Sovereign Council that runs the country to a civilian — a step that would have decreased the military’s hold on power.
“The whole country was deadlocked due to political rivalries,” Burhan said. “The experience during the past two years has proven that the participation of political forces in the transitional period is flawed and stirs up strife.”
Hamdok had been held at Burhan’s home, the general said, and was in good health. But of the many other senior government officials detained Monday, Burhan alleged that some tried to incite a rebellion within the armed forces, saying they would face trial. Others who are found “innocent” would be freed, he added.
The takeover came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and pace of Sudan’s transition to democracy. It threatened to derail that process, which has progressed in fits and starts since the overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising two years ago.
At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world powers to unite to confront a recent “epidemic of coups d’état.” But the U.N.’s most powerful body took no action during the closed-door consultations about Sudan, a nation in Africa linked by language and culture to the Arab world.
Hamdok’s office had voiced concern for his safety and for the other detained officials. In a statement, the office accused military leaders of acting in concert with Islamists, who have argued for a military government, and other politicians linked to the now-dissolved National Congress Party, which dominated Sudan during al-Bashir’s Islamist-backed rule.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration announced the halt of $700 million in emergency assistance to Sudan and said Tuesday it was looking at sending stronger signals to the generals.
“They should first and foremost cease any violence against innocent civilians, and … they should release those who have been detained and they should get back on a democratic path,” said Jake Sullivan, the administration’s national security adviser.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported that he spoke with Hamdok on Tuesday, the first high-level contact the U.S. has had with Sudan since the coup and the suspension of in U.S. aid. Blinken welcomed Hamdok’s release and emphasized that the U.S. supports a civilian-led transition to democracy in Sudan, a State Department statement said.
Mariam al-Mahdi, the foreign minister in the dissolved government, declared Tuesday that she and other members of Hamdok’s administration remained the legitimate authority in Sudan.
“We are still in our positions. We reject such coup and such unconstitutional measures,” she told The Associated Press by phone from her home in Khartoum. “We will continue our peaceful disobedience and resistance.”
The Ministry of Culture and Information, still loyal to the deposed government, said in a Facebook post that Sudanese ambassadors in Belgium, Switzerland and France have defected.
Nureldin Satti, the Sudanese envoy to the U.S., said he was working with those diplomats to “resist the military coup in support of the heroic struggle of the Sudanese people” to achieve the aims of the uprising against al-Bashir. But he did not specify whether he, too, had defected.
Al-Mahdi, meanwhile, spoke to the wife of one of the officials detained, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khalid Omar, and said he was humiliated and mistreated during his arrest.
Military forces “took Khalid barefoot, wearing only his nightclothes,” she said.
Hours after the arrests, Sudanese flooded the streets of Khartoum and other cities in protest. At least four people were killed and over 80 wounded when security forces opened fire, according to the Sudan Doctors’ Committee. Human Rights Watch said forces used live ammunition against the demonstrators.
Sudan saw a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2019, and there were fears about whether there would be another crackdown. A bigger test of how the military will respond to the resistance could come Saturday when protesters plan a mass march to demand a return to civilian rule.
The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, a group of unions that was behind the uprising against al-Bashir, also urged people to go on strike and engage in civil disobedience. Separately, the Sudan Popular Liberation Movement–North, the country’s main rebel group, denounced the coup and called for people to take to the streets.
In a sign of the divisions among the civilian leaders in Sudan, a group known as the Justice and Equality Movement blamed the deposed government for the military takeover. It said a few officials had monopolized decision-making and refused to engage in dialogue.
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The group, headed by Finance Minister Gibreil Ibrahim, is the first to publicly voice support for the military but also urged it to end the state of emergency, release the detainees and appoint a civilian government to run day-to-day activities. Earlier this month, the group had taken part in a pro-military sit-in in Khartoum.
Another pro-military group that splintered from the protest movement that ousted al-Bashir also welcomed the takeover, saying it would end a sit-in it had organized outside the presidential palace to support the generals earlier this month.
The military has sent mixed signals about Sudan’s future. Burhan promised to gradually restore internet and communications services that were disrupted in the coup. But the Civil Aviation Authority said it was suspending all flights to and from Khartoum’s airport until Oct. 30.
Following the coup, Burhan now heads a military council that he said would rule Sudan until elections in July 2023.
(AP)
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Trump Puts His Tesla Car Up For Sale As Feud With Elon Musk Escalates
Published
2 hours agoon
June 7, 2025By
Editor
A bright red Tesla Model S is now for sale at the White House — the most visible symbol yet of the fractured relationship between President Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
According to a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to comment publicly, Trump made the decision to sell the vehicle less than 24 hours after a public clash with Musk.
The car, acquired by the president in March and regularly seen parked on West Executive Avenue, appears to be among the first material casualties of their soured alliance.
For years, Trump criticized electric vehicles, often claiming they were too expensive and lacked sufficient range.
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In 2023, he declared online that the cars should “ROT IN HELL.”
That stance shifted after Trump and Musk forged an unlikely partnership. Musk contributed around $275 million to Trump’s 2024 re-election effort and was tapped to lead a major initiative to downsize the federal workforce.
In March, with Tesla under fire over Musk’s new political role, the two held an event at the White House showcasing Tesla models.
Musk touted the Cybertruck as “bulletproof.” Trump, pointing to a red Model S, said: “That kind.” He got it.
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Trump later remarked that the Secret Service would not allow him to drive it and that the car would remain at the White House for staff use.
He stated he would pay by check — around $80,000 — and declined any discounts. A White House spokesperson confirmed the vehicle was purchased “at a market rate.”
While executive branch employees are generally barred from endorsing commercial products, those rules do not apply to the president.
Trump maintained that his gesture was merely to support Musk.
On March 11, several Tesla vehicles were delivered to the South Grounds of the White House, shortly after Musk signaled his intent to donate $100 million to Trump-aligned political groups.
(New York Times)
Headline
Nigerian Grandmother Sacked By UK Varsity Over Misplaced Bracelet
Published
19 hours agoon
June 6, 2025By
Editor
A 71-year-old Nigerian grandmother, Janet Olufunke Damiro, has been dismissed from her cleaning job at the London School of Economics after being accused of stealing a bracelet.
British tabloid newspaper, Metro UK, exclusively reports on Thursday that Damiro, who moved to the United Kingdom from Nigeria in 1971 and had worked at LSE for 13 years, said she simply forgot the gold bracelet in her purse after finding it during her shift and intending to hand it in later.
She returned it three days later when questioned by management, but was still suspended and eventually dismissed in April for gross misconduct.
Damiro said, “I can’t sleep. I have never had a bad record or been to HR before in my life.
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“LSE have treated me really badly. It was my only job, and I loved working there. I never expected to be suspended or dismissed.
“I did not steal this thing. If I see any items, I always hand them over.
“This is the first time in my life I have had a problem like this since I came to this country. It is really bugging me.”
Metro reports that more than 70 of her colleagues, including three supervisors, have written to LSE management in her defence, insisting on her honesty and professionalism.
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“Janet has always conducted herself with integrity and consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic,” their letter read.
Her trade union, United Voices of the World, in a post on its website last month, appealed the dismissal and criticised the university’s handling of the situation.
Speaking with UVW, Damiro said, “I don’t steal. I’m not a thief. I’ve worked at LSE for over 10 years without any problems. I just forgot. At my age, you can forget like that.
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“They look at me like I’m a thief. It’s unfair. I’ve not been myself at all, I don’t sleep at night. I don’t have a job now, but I have to pay my rent and bills. Who’s going to employ me at this age?”
According to Metro, the university has declined to comment publicly, citing the ongoing nature of the case.
Meanwhile, LSE students have launched a petition calling for her reinstatement, describing the punishment as “deeply disturbing” for what they believe was a “minor mistake.”
An appeal hearing initially scheduled for May 22 was adjourned, and a new date has been set for later in June.
Headline
Family Kicks As UK Varsity Sacks Nigerian Grandmother
Published
19 hours agoon
June 6, 2025By
Editor
The family of Janet Damiro, a 71-year-old cleaner recently dismissed from the London School of Economics, has responded to widespread reports surrounding the incident, describing the online and media narratives as misleading and lacking critical context.
The victim’s daughter, Aina Damiro, in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Friday, clarified the events that led to her mother’s dismissal, stating that the situation has been “blown out of proportion.”
According to her, the incident occurred in February during the final minutes of Janet’s morning shift when she found a bracelet on the floor.
She reportedly picked it up with the intention of handing it in but inadvertently forgot.
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She said that the bracelet was left untouched in her coin wallet, which remained in her locker at the university.
“When approached about the bracelet a few days later, she was honest and cooperative.
“She retrieved it immediately and explained what had happened. There was no denial or attempt to hide it,” she said.
The family insists this was a case of forgetfulness rather than theft or misconduct, stressing that Janet had served the institution faithfully for years.
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They argued that the university’s decision to terminate her employment was a disproportionate response lacking empathy, especially for an older worker nearing retirement.
The family said, “To see her name and image used to suggest wrongdoing is not only unfair but deeply hurtful.
“This was an innocent mistake that has been misrepresented in a way that raises questions about how older workers, particularly women of colour in lower-paid roles, are treated.”
The family stated that Janet granted the interview to the Metro UK in good faith, hoping to raise awareness, not to be vilified.
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“We hope the public and media will reconsider how they are framing this story,” the family added, urging institutions to reflect on their duty to support vulnerable and long-serving members of staff.
The London School of Economics has not issued a formal response as of press time.
The case has since sparked conversation online under hashtags such as #JusticeForJanet and #RespectElderWorkers.
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