Sudan’s civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has tendered his resignation amid deepening uncertainty in the country and growing protests from the general public. In October 2021, Sudanese PM Hamdom was sacked in military coup, but later on, he was reinstated in the wake of a deal with military in November last year.
Nonetheless, on Sunday Hamdok resigned amid mass protests, denouncing both the military’s power grab and its subsequent deal with Hamdok, which have gripped Sudan for weeks. Hours before his televised address, security forces killed three protesters, according to doctors, pushing the number of people killed since the coup to 57.
Sundanese PM Hamdok’s resignation marks the latest upheaval in the country’s fragile transition to democracy following the 2019 removal of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir.
What did Hamdok say?
Hamdok said in his last speech that his mediation attempts with civilian and military officials to be able to deliver to people the promise of peace, justice and no bloodshed had collapsed.
The November deal that reinstated Hamdok had called for an independent technocratic cabinet under military oversight. But the agreement was rejected by the pro-democracy movement, which insists power be handed over to a fully civilian government.
Announcing his resignation, Hamdok said Sudan needed to engage in a new dialogue to agree on a “national charter” and “draw a roadmap” to complete the transition to civilian rule. He also warned the political deadlock could become an existential crisis.
“I tried as much as I possibly could to prevent our country from sliding into a disaster. Now, our nation is going through a dangerous turning point that could threaten its survival unless it is urgently rectified,” he said.
