Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned on Sunday, more than two months after a military coup and following another deadly crackdown on protesters, with the military now firmly in control.
Sudan had been undergoing a fragile journey toward civilian rule since the 2019 ouster of former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, but was plunged into turmoil when military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan launched his coup on Oct. 25 and detained Hamdok.
Hamdok was reinstated on Nov. 21 under a deal promising elections for the middle of next year, but local media had reported that he had been absent from his office for days, with rumors swirling over his possible resignation.
Photo: AFP
“I have tried my best to stop the country from sliding towards disaster,” Hamdok said on Sunday evening, addressing the nation on state television.
Sudan “is crossing a dangerous turning point that threatens its whole survival,” he said.
Hamdok was the civilian face of the nation’s fragile transition, while al-Burhan has been the nation’s de facto leader following al-Bashir’s ouster.
Hamdok cited “the fragmentation of the political forces and conflicts between the [military and civilian] components of the transition,” and said that “despite everything that has been done to reach a consensus ... it has not happened.”
Mass protests against the coup have continued even after Hamdok was reinstated, as demonstrators distrust al-Burhan and his promise to guide the nation toward full democracy.
Protesters have also charged that the deal to reinstate Hamdok simply aimed to give a cloak of legitimacy to the generals, whom they accuse of trying to continue the regime built by al-Bashir.
Thousands of demonstrators on Sunday braved tear gas, a heavy troop deployment and a telecommunications blackout to demand a civilian government.
They lambasted the coup, shouting “power to the people” and demanding the military return to their barracks at protests near the presidential palace in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city, Omdurman.
The pro-democracy Doctors’ Committee said that security forces killed three protesters, including one who was shot in the chest and another who suffered a “severe head wound.”
As with previous demonstrations, which have become regular since the coup, the authorities had erected roadblocks, with shipping containers blocking Nile River bridges between the capital and outlying areas.
However, thousands still came out to demonstrate “in memory of the martyrs,” with at least 57 protesters now killed since the coup, according to pro-democracy medics.
Young men on motorcycles were seen ferrying wounded protesters to hospitals as security forces blocked ambulances from reaching them.
Web monitoring group NetBlocks said that mobile Internet services were cut in the morning ahead of the protests, the first of the year. They were restored in the evening.
Democracy advocates use the Internet for organizing protests and broadcasting live footage of the rallies.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday said that Washington was “prepared to respond to those who seek to block the aspirations of the Sudanese people for a civilian-led, democratic government, and who would stand in the way of accountability, justice and peace.”
More than 14 million people in Sudan would need humanitarian aid in the coming year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said — the highest level in a decade.
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS