On December 28, the Prime Minister of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok, has publicly expressed his willingness to resign from his government position, given the impossibility – in his opinion – to lead a stable executive and, above all, the ability to convince the Sudanese political parties of the need for a compromise.
Several heads of state and international political leaders have promptly contacted Abdallah Hamdok, asking him to remain in his post and lead this difficult transitional phase of the country.
The news of Premier Hamdok’s possible imminent resignation has been circulating since December 22 last year, after the continuous protests had reiterated the absolute refusal to any compromise with the armed forces, while accusing Hamdok of having betrayed the revolutionary cause.
Many of the prime minister’s opponents seem to suspect that this continuous threat of resignation is a ploy by Hamdok to convince the less radical components of the opposition to accept a political compromise that includes the participation of the armed forces in the delicate phase of transition in the country, without however having the desired effect.
According to the Prime Minister’s supporters, instead, it is the sense of responsibility that keeps Hamdok in his post, in the awareness that his surrender would open the doors to a more incisive role of the military, potentially destined to exponentially increase the violence in the country.
Prime Minister Hamdok’s position is certainly not an easy one. In a short time, he has gone from being a victim to an accomplice of the military regime in the perception of Sudanese society, in a social climate of constant unrest, characterized by increasingly large-scale demonstrations, in the apparent impossibility of creating a new legitimate government capable of leading the country towards the long-awaited elections scheduled for 2023.
On December 25 a delegation from the National Umma Party (NUP) went to meet the Prime Minister in an autonomous capacity, without, however, making any statement at the end of the meeting.
Among the few rumors leaked by NUP leader Fadlallah Burma and his deputy Mariam al-Mahdi there was a request from Prime Minister Hamdok for a meeting with the leadership of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC). The following day, however, Mutaz Salih, an exponent of the Central Council of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FCC), made it clear that the Council has refused the request for a meeting indirectly formulated by Prime Minister Hamdok, thus closing the doors to any compromise formula that does not include the exit of the military.
Finally, on December 31, a new massive demonstration brought once again a large crowd of demonstrators to the streets of Khartoum and the main cities of Sudan, in a continuous protest against the military regime responsible for having led the coup d’état of last October 25. This time, however, unlike the demonstrations of last week, the military have caused the death of four protesters, making the tension very high.
The spokesman of the Sudanese armed forces accused Ethiopia on December 30 of being engaged in organizing a massive deployment of forces along the border between the two countries, with the presumable intent to try a new military adventure in the area of al Fashaga, returned a few weeks ago under the full control of the Sudanese army.
No confirmation of troop movements by Ethiopia, where, however, in recent days has circulated the news of a plan, hatched by the forces of Tigray, to attack the regional states of Amhara and Oromia through a surprise attack from Sudan. News that, at present, seems to be baseless.
