Sudan PM Abdalla Hamdok resigns owing to mass protest

The resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok caused turbulence for the country. The chanting of protestors “power to the people” for the return of civilian rule is continuously unheard. The military forces’ attempts to hush the protestors have led to the deaths of two citizens.

The Sudanese military falls to full power after the Prime Minister’s resignation. The world can consider this one of the futile attempts at a transition to democratic rule. The protest also led to the overthrow of long-term authoritarian president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

In the television interview, Mr. Abdalla Hamdook quoted that the country was at “a dangerous turning point that threatens its whole survival”. He also said that “he had tried his best to stop the country from sliding towards disaster.”

Sudan faced the circumstances of a power-sharing agreement between the military and civilians. The prime minister was under house arrest after the military staged a coup on October 25th of last year.

Mr. Abdalla Hamdok has a high reputation in the international community. He has previously worked with the UN to forgo Sudan’s debt. Nonetheless, it resulted in a rise in the price of basic commodities and the elimination of fuel subsidies in the country.

The political tension continued even when Abdalla Hamdok returned to office. As the protestors believed that reinstating the prime minister was just a false pretense, It was actually helping the coup to legitimize the takeover.

The military continuously also suppressed the protests, which led to the deaths of over 50 people. After the resignation of Hamdok, the coup lost its share of international recognition and support.

Thousands of people were on the streets of Khartoum, demanding the military to leave politics. Some social media activists have called 2022 “the year of the continuation of the resistance”.

In October’s coup, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was saving his face by calling it an action to prevent civil war. He also said Sudan continues on its way to the transformation to civilian rule as an election will be duly conducted in July 2023.

Credits: BBC