Sudan’s Reinstated PM Hamdok Promises a Path to Democracy

By Staff, Agencies

Newly reinstated Sudanese Prime Minister Abdulla Hamdok has pledged to introduce a “technocratic government” made up of qualified professionals who will lead the country on a path to democracy nearly a month after a military coup.

Hamdok said the cabinet currently being formed will focus on establishing a constitutional conference and holding elections by June 2023, to complete “the transition to democracy and its related obligations”.

“You all know that [holding] the elections will require one full year at least, and it may drag on for one and a half years,” he said, hours after he signed the political agreement with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Hamdok had been under house arrest by the military for weeks. The military also dissolved his cabinet and arrested a number of civilians who had held top positions under a power-sharing deal agreed after the popular overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

The 14-point deal between Hamdok and the military, signed in the presidential palace in Khartoum on Sunday, also provides for the release of all political prisoners detained during the coup and stipulates that a 2019 constitutional declaration be the basis for a political transition, according to details read out on state television.

The coup has drawn international criticism. Sudanese people have been taking to the streets en masse since the military takeover, which upended the country’s fragile transition to democracy.

At least 41 people have been killed during confrontations with police since the coup, as security forces have at times used live rounds to disperse anti-coup demonstrators.

Hamdok pledged to launch an independent probe into the killings and violations committed, and said the deal was signed to “avoid further bloodshed”.

In parallel, Hamdok affirmed that the agreement ensures the prime minister has the “power and the authority” to form an independent and technocratic government in “absolute liberty and without any pressure”.

However, it remains unclear how much power the upcoming government is going to hold.

The appointment of cabinet ministers has to be approved by the Sovereign Council, which is headed by AQl-Burhan.

Pro-democracy activists have rejected Sunday’s deal and have pledged to step up anti-military rallies. They have also rejected any form of negotiation or partnership with the army.