He appeared on television to sign a new power-sharing agreement with coup plotter General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan amid ongoing mass protests. Under the agreement, the reinstated prime minister will head 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 surveillance. “The signing of this political framework agreement will open the door to all the challenges facing the transition period over the past two years, and we have achieved a lot in this partnership. We have brought Sudan back into the international community, removed its name from the terrorist blacklist and achieved many other achievements. However, we still have a lot of challenges ahead of us,” he added. Many protesters had hoped that Hamdok would wait for a deal that would ensure a full transfer of power to civilians, rather than an agreement with the putschists who had begun to assemble a government full of bashir regime figures. “The prime minister has lost a lot of credibility with this step,” she told DW. “And, of course, this political agreement – much like the coup itself – has abandoned much of its political umbrella, which has somewhat isolated it.” Sudanese have taken to the streets in droves since the military came to power, disrupting the country`s fragile transition to democracy. The deal comes just days after doctors said at least 15 people were killed by live ammunition during anti-coup protests. Hamdok has been under house arrest by military leaders for weeks.
Following the negative reactions of the international community and the Sudanese people, Al-Burhan and Hamdok agreed to work together “to complete the democratic path in the service of Sudan`s higher interests.” The Sudanese people oppose this agreement because they believe it legitimizes a military takeover that does not meet their needs or represent what they envision for the future of Sudan. The protesters of this agreement want a civilian government, which cannot be done under the leadership of Al-Burhan and the army. Mediators of the new deal, which included academics, journalists and politicians, said the rules for the transition to democracy would be restored. “If you look at today`s signing, [the prime minister] still seemed to be the hostage he was until this morning. The streets were not happy and these people continue to show their dismay at any kind of power-sharing agreement between the civilian population and the army. “I think it`s fair to say that there has been a broad rejection of this agreement,” she told DW. “The terms of the agreement do not stipulate that the military must give up anything, power or otherwise.” The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information, said the United Nations, the United States and others played a “crucial role” in drafting the agreement. The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been at the forefront of protests that have rocked the country since late 2018, called it a “rational agreement.” The organization said the agreement is “far from the aspirations of our people” and contains only ink on paper.
“The agreement allows Al-Burhan and its allies to dictate the transition process, as the former Bashir regime did by using elections and dividing civilians to win. international credibility. This makes it very likely that al-Burhan will lead an authoritarian regime similar to that of the former Bashir regime, except that it will include a coalition of leaders that the former Bashir regime could not previously influence, as well as Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti” and his Rapid Support Forces (RSF). However, the continued protests risk putting pressure on the coalition to abandon Al-Burhan, which hinders its presidential ambitions. “In the last five or six days, one group of us has made the most of our efforts. All credit is due to them for the conclusion of this agreement, and we believe that this will pave the way for a full and complete transition period. A political agreement has been signed in Sudan that will allow Abdalla Hamdok to be reinstated as prime minister. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has been reinstated and thousands of political prisoners must be released as Sudan`s military rulers seek to present a more acceptable image after a coup in October that dissolved the previous power-sharing agreement.
“The treacherous agreement signed today between Hamdok and al-Burhan is completely rejected and only affects his parties,” the pro-democracy group said in a statement. “We are not interested in any deal with this brutal junta and we are using every peaceful and creative method to bring them down.” As part of the deal, General Burhan was to resign as head of state and be handed over to a civilian this month. The country`s political forces and protesters rejected the deal proposed by Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (SCT) and commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), because the agreement did not give the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) a role in the transitional government and because the agreement did not exist between military and civilian actors. but rather between al-Burhan and Hamdok. The deal comes just days after doctors said at least 15 people were killed by live ammunition during anti-coup protests. The civilian Coalition Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), which had shared power with the military, said it did not recognize an agreement with the armed forces. The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), a political group that was instrumental in the removal of former Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, rejected the decision. “We reaffirm our clear and previously stated position that there are no negotiations, no partnership, no legitimacy for the coup,” the group said in a statement. “We are not interested in any deal with this brutal junta, and we are using every peaceful and creative method to bring them down.” Hamdok, who spent last month under house arrest, hailed the deal as a way to restore Sudan`s fragile democratic transition, but the country`s powerful and swollen protest movement, calling for the removal of the military leadership behind the coup, categorically rejected the deal.
She added that “people have demanded that the army be negotiated or that the army withdraw completely from political life. This Agreement does not do that. What he is actually doing is ignoring the coup. and allow the military to retain much of the power it has. Sudanese Supreme General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Sunday signed the agreement with Hamdok to restore the transition to civilian rule nearly a month after a military coup. Sudanese army arrests prime minister and dissolves government in coup The country`s top military leader, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, thanked Hamdok for his service, saying the prime minister “has been patient with us until we reach that moment.” The Sudanese people have been taking to the streets in droves since the army came to power, disrupting the country`s fragile transition to democracy. The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) also rejected the political agreement on Sunday. The move will not yet change the country`s fishing habits or impose new rules on restaurants, with the government saying the designation is only intended to “ensure that animal welfare is taken into account in future decisions.” Sudanese protesters return to the streets as the military consolidates its grip after the coup A senior Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity to give a more open assessment of Sunday`s deal, said: “The announcement itself is not what we are looking for. Although Burhan avoided the term “coup,” the military tightened its grip on power and appointed a new military-led Sovereign Council chaired by Burhan. The Forces of Freedom and Change, a political party that was part of the Hamdok government before the coup, said their position remained clear: “No negotiations, no partnership and no legitimacy for the putschists.” “The deal was reached after weeks of talks involving political factions, former rebel groups and the military.
Senior State Department officials had lobbied for Hamdok to return to power, including during recent visits by Molly Phee, the top U.S. administration.