U.S. envoy to travel to Sudan next week after attempted coup

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman will visit Sudan next week to reaffirm American support for the country’s government days after Sudanese authorities said they had thwarted an attempted coup, the White House said Friday.

In a phone call with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, national security adviser Jake Sullivan “expressed the Biden administration’s commitment to support the civilian-led transition to democracy in Sudan and oppose any attempts to derail or disrupt the will of the Sudanese people,” the White House National Security Council said in a statement.

Sudanese authorities said they had foiled an attempted coup on Tuesday, accusing plotters loyal to ousted President Omar al-Bashir of a failed bid to derail the revolution that removed him from power in 2019 and ushered in a transition to democracy.

The U.S. State Department later condemned the coup and, along with the United Nations Security Council, reiterated support for the transitional government.

Sullivan on Friday also “underscored that any attempt by military actors to undermine the spirit and agreed benchmarks of Sudan’s constitutional declaration would have significant consequences for the U.S.-Sudan bilateral relationship and planned assistance.”

The thwarted coup points to the difficult path facing Sudan under a fragile power-sharing deal between the military and civilians since the overthrow of Bashir, who presided over Sudan for nearly three decades and was shunned by the West.

Sudan’s current ruling body, known as the Sovereign Council, has won Western debt relief and taken steps to normalize ties with Israel, while battling a severe economic crisis. Elections are expected in 2024.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Doina Chiacu; editing by Susan Heavey and Aurora Ellis)