PM announces resignation amid political deadlock

CAIRO (AP:

Sudan’s Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, announced his resignation on Sunday amid political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests, following a military coup that derailed the country’s fragile transition to democratic rule.

Hamdok, a former UN official seen as the civilian face of Sudan’s transitional government, had been reinstated as prime minister in November as part of an agreement with the military following the October coup. In that time he had failed to name a Cabinet, and his resignation throws Sudan into political uncertainty amid uphill security and economic challenges.

In a televised national address on Sunday, Hamdok called for a dialogue to agree on a “national charter” and to “draw a road map” to complete the transition to democracy, in accordance with the 2019 constitutional document governing the transitional period.

“I decided to return the responsibility and declare my resignation as prime minister,” he said, adding that his stepping down would allow a chance for another person to lead the nation and complete its transition to a “civilian, democratic country”. He did not name a successor.

The prime minister said his efforts to bridge the widening gap and settle disputes among the political forces have failed.

He warned that the ongoing political stalemate since the military takeover could become a full-blown crisis and damage the country’s already-battered economy.

“I tried as much as I possibly could to prevent our country from sliding into a disaster. Now, our nation is going through a dangerous turning point that could threaten its survival unless it is urgently rectified,” he said.

The October coup had upended Sudan’s plans to move to democracy after a popular uprising forced the military’s overthrow of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019.

Four months after al-Bashir’s ouster, the generals and the protesters reached a power-sharing deal to rule the country through to elections in 2023. However, military-civilian ties have been frayed by the military takeover that has threatened to return Sudan to international isolation.