Sudan's military agree to reinstate Hamdok as prime minister

The Sudanese military, who ousted prime minister Abdulla Hamdok in late October, agreed on Sunday (21 November 2021) to reinstate Hamdok back as prime minister. This came after a new power-sharing agreement was signed with coup leader Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan while protests and civil unrest continued in the streets. Sudan has been under a state of emergency since 25 October. 

In a televised ceremony, prime minister Abdalla Hamdok appeared alongside Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and signed a 14-point agreement which they both hailed as an important step forward.

The civilian coalition, Forces for Freedom and Change, who supported Hamdok two years ago after the ousting of Omar al-Bashir did not acknowledge any new deal. Hamdok was quoted saying he had agreed to the deal to stop the violence: “Sudanese blood is precious, let us stop the bloodshed and direct the youth's energy into building and development.” 

The deal also allows for the release of political prisoners but does not make clear whether Hamdok will be able to exercise his full powers as prime minister. A source close to the negotiations says that Hamdok will be allowed to form his own government. 

Much of the pressure came not only from the streets where protests demanded an end to the coup but also from the international community. The World Bank froze its aid to Sudan and the African Union (AU) suspended the country's membership in the bloc. Some of the alleged military supporters from the region, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular, also joined the call for the restoration of the civilian-led government and return to power-sharing. 

However, the army claimed that it had intervened to prevent a civil war that was threatening to erupt because political groups had been inciting civilians against the security forces.

Sudan’s Sovereign Council, the 11-member collective head of state since August 2019, will meet later Sunday before formally announcing the deal. 

Source: commonspace.eu with BBC (London), New York Times (New York City), Reuters (London) and DW (Berlin). 
Picture: Prime minister Abdulla Hamdok and Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan sign an agreement; Twitter: @SUNA_AGENCY.    

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

The governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have recently agreed the text of a historic peace agreement that ends years of animosity and warfare. The agreement is expected to be signed soon. LINKS Europe, which has a long history of engagement with the process of peace in the region, recently launched a new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue format in the framework of the European Union's EU4Peace initiative. In the last two weeks dozens of Armenians and Azerbaijanis, including academics, students, civil society activists, journalists and other professionals, many of them young, were involved. The work is organised in five thematic groups focusing on peace and security, connectivity, environment, governance and gender and equality and in phase 2 of the project, which has just ended, around fifty participants took part in in-person and online meetings, and more than twenty others were involved indirectly. The Chairpersons of the five thematic groups met in Vilnius, 3-6 July to launch the third phase of the program. The five thematic groups are now working on separate reports, which are expected to be finished in November and presented to the two governments and other stakeholders. The reports will outline a vision, up to 2040.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

The governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have recently agreed the text of a historic peace agreement that ends years of animosity and warfare. The agreement is expected to be signed soon. LINKS Europe, which has a long history of engagement with the process of peace in the region, recently launched a new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue format in the framework of the European Union's EU4Peace initiative. In the last two weeks dozens of Armenians and Azerbaijanis, including academics, students, civil society activists, journalists and other professionals, many of them young, were involved. The work is organised in five thematic groups focusing on peace and security, connectivity, environment, governance and gender and equality and in phase 2 of the project, which has just ended, around fifty participants took part in in-person and online meetings, and more than twenty others were involved indirectly. The Chairpersons of the five thematic groups met in Vilnius, 3-6 July to launch the third phase of the program. The five thematic groups are now working on separate reports, which are expected to be finished in November and presented to the two governments and other stakeholders. The reports will outline a vision, up to 2040.