Sudan’s military reinstates ousted civilian PM Hamdok
KHARTOUM - Sudan's ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has been reinstated following last month's coup when he was put under house arrest.
He has appeared on TV to sign a new power-sharing agreement with coup leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan amid continuing mass protests.
But the civilian coalition that nominated Hamdok as PM two years ago refused to acknowledge any new deal.
The pact had been struck with a gun to his head, a spokesperson said in an interview.
"The future of the country will be determined by the young people on the ground," Siddiq Abu-Fawwaz, from the Forces for Freedom and Change coalition said.
On the streets of capital, Khartoum, the security forces fired tear gas at protesters marching towards the presidential palace and demanding the military's complete
withdrawal from politics.
Since October 25, when the military declared a state of emergency and dissolved the civilian leadership, at least 40 people have died in mass protests against the coup.
Hamdok said he had agreed to the deal to stop the violence. "Sudanese blood is precious, let us stop the bloodshed and direct the youth's energy into building and development," Reuters news agency quoted him as
saying.
Under the agreement, the reinstated prime minister will lead a cabinet of technocrats until elections are held. But it is unclear how much power the new civilian government will have, as it will be subject to military oversight.
Hamdok told Al Jazeera the deal gave him complete freedom to form his government and hold elections before July 2023. It also allows the release of political prisoners.
The military has come under intense international and domestic pressure to restore the transition to democra
cy. The World Bank froze its aid to Sudan, and the African Union suspended the country's membership of the bloc. Western powers, including the US, UK and EU, have welcomed Hamdok's reinstatement and called for more political detainees to be freed.