Protests continue in Sudan as military reinstates prime minister

SUDAN’S military has reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, promising to release all political detainees after weeks of deadly unrest triggered by a coup.

But, large crowds took to the streets to reject any deal involving the army.

Under an agreement signed with military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Hamdok, first appointed after the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a 2019 uprising, will lead a civilian government of technocrats for a transitional period.

The deal faces opposition from pro-democracy groups that have demanded full civilian rule ever since Bashir was ousted and have been angered by the deaths of dozens of protesters in the weeks following the Oct. 25 coup.

A hero for the protest movement, Hamdok quickly became the villain for some.

“Hamdok has sold the revolution,” protesters chanted after the deal was announced. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), a leading protest group, called it “treacherous”.

Tens of thousands of people yesterday joined scheduled rallies in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin cities of Omdurman and Bahri. Security forces fired bullets and tear gas to disperse them, witnesses said.

“Hamdok has disappointed us. Our only option is the street,” said Omar Ibrahim, a 26-year-old protester in Khartoum.

Those who carried out and backed the coup should face justice, it said.

Several of the resistance committees that have been organizing protests also put out statements rejecting any deal with the military.

Hamdok was placed under house arrest when the military seized power, derailing a transition towards elections in 2023.

The military dissolved Hamdok’s cabinet and detained a number of civilians who held top positions under the power-sharing deal agreed after Bashir was toppled.

Under yesterday’s deal, a constitutional declaration struck between the military and civilians in 2019 will remain the foundation in further talks.

Western powers that had backed Sudan’s political transition condemned last month’s takeover and suspended economic assistance to Sudan, which has been trying to recover from a deep economic crisis.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES