Abdalla Hamdok, the Prime Minister of Sudan, announced his resignation in a televised interview Sunday amid political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests after a military coup disrupted the unstable transition to democratic rule. A former United Nations official, Hamdok, is seen as the civilian face of the transitional government of the country. In November, he was restored as Prime Minister as part of a deal with Sudan’s military following the October coup.

At that time, he failed to name a Cabinet, and his letter of resignation threw the country into political uncertainty amid economic challenges and strict security. During his televised address, he called for a talk to agree on a national charter and make a roadmap to finalize the transition to democracy according to the 2019 legal document overseeing the transitional period.

The Prime Minister of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok, announced o resign Sunday amid political deadlock and countrywide pro-democracy protests following a military takeover that derailed the fragile transition of the country to democratic rule. pic.twitter.com/w6EovIVAXw

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Hamdok said he decided to return the responsibility and announce his resignation as prime minister. Further, he added that his quitting would allow a chance for another individual to lead the country and complete its transition to a democratic, civilian government. However, he didn’t name his successor. The former prime minister said his efforts to fill the widening gap and settle conflicts among the political forces failed.

In addition, he warned that the current political deadlock since the army coup could become a full-scale crisis and damage the previously beaten economy of the country. He said he tried his best to prevent Sudan from falling into a disaster. Now the country is experiencing a dangerous turning point that could risk its survival unless it rectified urgently.

Previous History of Military Coup in Sudan

The October 2021 armed coup overturned the plans of the country to move to democracy after a popular insurgence forced the military coup of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir and his rule in 2019. Four months after the dismissal of al-Bashir, the protestors and the military generals reached a power-sharing accord to rule the nation through the 2023 general elections.

However, civilian-military ties frayed by the military seizure that threatened to return Sudan to global isolation. The resignation of Hamdok comes amid a heavy security crackdown on prosecutes condemning the seizure and the following agreement that restored him and sidelined the pro-democracy movement. In November, he returned to office amid the global pressure in an agreement that asked an independent technocratic Cabinet under the direction of the military and led by him.

An umbrella group of Sudanese pro-democracy organizations and political parties, the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom & Change, rejected the November agreement and sa remains committed to ending military rule. The coalition blamed Hamdok for allowing the army to dominate the government and managed anti-coup street demonstrations, which met with a heavy crackdown.

During the last two weeks, there was a growing rumor that he would resign. However, international and national efforts failed to convince him to stay in his seat. On Twitter, the State Department of the U.S. urged the leaders of Sudan to set aside differences and find a deal and ensured continued civilian rule following the resignation of Hamdok. Likewise, it asked them for the appointment of the next leader and Cabinet to follow the 2019 constitutional declaration to meet the freedom, justice, and peace goals of Sudanese.

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