African Union Suspends Sudan Membership Over Violent Military Crackdown

The African Union has suspended Sudan’s membership over an upsurge of violence in the capital, and warned of further action if power is not transferred to a civilian authority.

“The AU Peace and Security Council has with immediate effect suspended the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective establishment of a Civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the only way to allow the Sudan to exit from the current crisis,” the AU tweeted on Thursday.

Dozens have been killed, with officials putting the figure at 46 while opposition activists say as high as many as 108 people were killed this week.

It is the deadliest crackdown incident since veteran President Omar al-Bashir was ousted by the military in April after months of peaceful protests.

Talks between opposition activists and the ruling interim military council have also broken down.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it is following with “great concern” the recent developments and their repercussions in Sudan, and is calling on all Sudanese parties involved to exercise restraint and to return to the negotiations and dialogue table in order to achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people.

Earlier on Monday, Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) announced that security forces targeted criminals and terrorists near a site of weeks-long sit-in outside the army headquarters, denying that authorities were trying to clear the camp.