By Staff Writer
03:01:2021

On Sunday, Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok resigned amidst the 12th round of major protests since the 25 October 2020 coup, which initially saw him forced out.

“I decided to give back the responsibility and announce my resignation as prime minister, and give a chance to another man or woman of this noble country, Hamdok said on a televised address, advocating discussions between all forces over the country’s future.

Despite this, protests continued on Sunday, with the military refusing to budge; streets were blocked, and internet and telephone lines shut down in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the ongoing protests. Another 2 protesters were killed, putting the number to 56, killed since the 25 October coup, with hundreds more injured.

Before the Sunday and Thursday protests, negotiations had tentatively started between the military and civilians from the Umma party and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), indicating that political forces are wary of the current power vacuum; however, the killing of over 4 protesters on Thursday stalled this initiative.

Hamdok’s resignation will likely continue this path, especially since the military now remains in complete control of all the country’s institutions. The US on Saturday stated that it would consider placing sanctions on individuals scuppering the country’s transition and even reversing the normalisation process. However, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the two regional countries with the most interest in Sudan, still support the military but are mulling the replacement of the head Abdul Fattah al Burhan to defuse the situation.