Sunday 21 November 2021
Putschists give in
Sudan’s overthrown prime minister back in office
Four weeks ago, the military took over the leadership in Sudan. They have violently suppressed protests against the takeover. There are dozens of deaths. Now the situation should stabilize: The Prime Minister, who was placed under house arrest, is getting his post back.
In Sudan, the civil prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, who was overthrown in a coup, has been reinstated. This is the result of an agreement with army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said Hamdok in the capital Khartoum. In a joint appearance, the two men announced that they wanted to lead the country back on the path towards democracy. A few minutes earlier, Hamdok and Al-Burhan had signed an agreement for a new interim government.
According to the agreement, Hamdok is allowed to form a cabinet with civilian representatives. In addition, all political prisoners who were arrested during the coup on October 25 are to be released. Hamdok had also been held under house arrest since the coup. So far it is unclear whether military representatives will also belong to the new government.
Until the coup, Al-Burhan and Hamdok were at the head of a transitional government made up of military and civilian representatives. After the October coup, Al-Burhan dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency.
There were international protests against the takeover of power by the military. In Sudan itself there have been protests by thousands of Sudanese people over the past few weeks who are calling for more democracy and a civilian government in the country with 44 million inhabitants. The demonstrations were violently suppressed. According to doctors, at least 40 people were killed, at least 16 died on Wednesday alone. The international community also called for the restoration of constitutional order.