Sudan’s military arrested the country"s prime minister and members of the civilian government, officials in the capital Khartoum announced early Monday, writes aa.com.tr.

The Ministry of Culture and Information’s official account said a military force arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after he refused to support what it described as a “coup”.

Sudanese officials, who declined to be named, confirmed earlier that military forces surrounded Hamdok’s residence and placed him under house arrest.

While there was no comment from the Sudanese army on the development, the ministry said Hamdok was taken to an unknown location.

According to local media outlets, Industry Minister Ibrahim al-Sheikh and Information Minister Hamza Balloul are among the arrested ministers.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) has called for protests against what it described as a “military coup against the civilian government”.

Political parties in the North African nation, including Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and Sudanese Communist Party, called for civil disobedience in protest of the “coup”.

In a press release, they urged people to resist attempts by the army to seize power.