Sudan’s PM Hamdok threatens to quit position

KHARTOUM (REUTERS) – Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok will quit if a political agreement he signed with the military last week is not implemented or fails to receive backing from political factions, a source close to him said on Wednesday.

Hamdok was released from house arrest and restored to his job under the deal reached on Nov. 21, four weeks after he was removed in a military takeover.

The takeover ended a 2019 power-sharing agreement between the military and political groups involved in toppling former leader Omar al-Bashir. Those groups have rejected the agreement, as have resistance committees that have organized a campaign of protests.

The latest of those protests, on Tuesday, drew tens of thousands of people to central Khartoum under the slogan “No partnership, no negotiation, no compromise”.

Further protests are planned for December on key anniversaries from the 2018 start of protests against Bashir.

Opponents say the post-coup agreement favours the military by leaving the army chief in charge of a body, the Sovereign Council that was meant to pass to civilian control.

The agreement lets Hamdok appoint a new technocratic cabinet, and calls for the release of political detainees and investigations into crackdowns on protests in which medics say 43 people died.

Hamdok has said he signed the agreement to stop bloodshed and preserve much-needed international financial support.

On Wednesday Hamdok issued a decree replacing most of a group of caretaker deputy ministers that had been installed by the military after the coup. The decree did not include the finance, federal rule, and information ministries.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said on Wednesday 98 people had been injured the previous day, mainly from tear gas canisters and stun grenades. The group, which is aligned with the protest movement, also said that doctors had noticed stronger reactions to the tear gas used on the day.

State television quoted police as saying there were some cases of choking from tear gas and injuries due to crowding, and that 44 people had been arrested.

Most high-profile politicians held after the coup have been released, although lawyers say many protesters are still detained.