UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency closed-door meeting on the coup in Sudan for Tuesday afternoon.
Diplomats said late Monday that the consultations were requested by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Norway and Estonia.
The council is wrapping up a visit to Mali and Niger and is scheduled to return to New York early Tuesday afternoon, so the meeting has been scheduled for 4 pm EDT, the diplomats said ahead of an official announcement.
Sudan's military seized power Monday, arresting the prime minister and other officials of the transitional government, sparking protests by thousands of demonstrators across the country demanding a return to civilian rule.
The takeover threatened the country's shaky progress toward democracy.
Council members are scheduled to discuss the disputed Abyei region on the Sudan-South Sudan border Wednesday.