Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced late Sunday he was stepping down, saying he had failed to prevent the political upheaval that has roiled the North African nation since a military coup two months ago.
“I have decided to announce my resignation and make way for others,” Hamdok said live on state television, a move that comes after weeks of bloody protests against the transitional civilian-military government he co-leads.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), which is aligned with the anti-military movement, said on Sunday that two more people had been killed by security forces trying to disperse a crowd in the city Omdurman, bringing the total number of civilians killed in the country since the coup to 56.
On October 25, the military took power in a coup. After international and domestic pressure, the ousted prime minister Abdullah Hamdok was reinstated on November 21. But his return failed to end the unrest and mass protests continued.
According to an agreement between Hamdok and military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Hamdok was allowed to form a Cabinet with civilian representatives.
However, al-Burhan, as leader of the Sovereign Council, jointly heads the new transitional government with Hamdok.
The Sovereign Council also includes representatives of the military, who are accused of serious human rights violations and corruption.
Since then, there have been repeated protests against the continued involvement of the military in Sudan’s government, and accusations of treason levelled at Hamdok.
It was not immediately clear who would replace Hamdok. In his resignation speech, Hamdok said it was for others to carry on with Sudan’s fragile transition to democracy.
