A Sudanese military court has sentenced a former chief of staff to nine years in prison and five senior officers to five years each after they were convicted of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2019.
The case dates back to July 2019, three months after the military overthrew Sudan’s longtime autocrat, President Omar al-Bashir, amid a popular uprising against his Islamist-backed rule.
Sudan’s now-ruling military says the failed attempt sought to sabotage a power-sharing deal between the generals and the pro-democracy movement that led the uprising.
However, a military coup last October did away with the power-sharing and upended Sudan’s fragile democratic transition, which has also faced uphill security and economic challenges since al-Bashir’s ouster.
The top officer sentenced Monday by the court in the capital of Khartoum was Gen. Hashem Abdel-Muttalib Babakr, who only three years ago, was named chief of staff by the transitional military council that seized power after al-Bashir’s ouster.
Two military officials said the military court also downgraded Babakar to lieutenant general, his previous rank. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case with reporters.
The five other officers convicted of the coup attempt — three major generals, a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel — were working for the military and the national intelligence and security services, said the two officials. All of them were arrested at the time of the attempt, the two added.
The court also dismissed two other generals, including a former deputy commander of Sudan’s Air Force, from service and acquitted three officers, according to the officials.
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