Following a series of widespread protests and unrest in Sudan, the recently reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has bowed out leaving the country in the hands of the military.
Hamdok made the unprecedented announcement on a televised address late on Sunday, only six weeks after he agreed to a transitional power sharing deal with the military.
A power-sharing deal was reached shortly after Hamdok was released from house arrest following a coup on October 25, 2021. In November, the military that had seized power in the country bowed to pressure and allowed Hamdok to lead a temporary cabinet until elections were held.
His resignation follows an attack by the military on civilians holding mass protests on the streets of Khartoum and the city of Omdurman on Sunday, in objection to the joint power sharing agreement with the army.
Commanded by the pro-democracy movement, thousands of civilians marched on the streets declaring a need for the return of full civilian rule prompting the military forces to retaliate by shooting two people dead and injuring several others.
Over 50 people have died while protesting since the coup, according to the pro-democracy Sudan Central Doctors’ Committee.
Coup leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has defended last October’s coup, saying the army had acted to prevent a civil war. He says Sudan is still committed to the transition to civilian rule, with elections planned for July 2023.
