Name? Abdalla Hamdok
Westphalian identity? Sudanese
Age? 65
Why is he in the news? After being ousted in a military coup on October 25, Abdalla Hamdok has been reinstated into power, after having signed an agreement with the military. In the deal, the civilian government’s ministers who were arrested were also released by the military. The coup d’état led by General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan saw widespread protests in the capital of Khartoum, demonstrations calling for a civilian government to be established.
Why do we care? When Hamdok put pen to paper with the al-Burhan and the military, he put himself at odds with his own pro-democracy allies, notably the FFC. Since the deal revives the previous agreement with the civilian and military wings of government, it does not punish the military putschists. This will make the transition a lot harder for Hamdok as he will need to find a way to redeem himself with his former allies.
Why should you care? Even though Hamdok has signed a deal to take power once again, protesters in Khartoum have vocalized their dissent for the deal. Recently, a 16 year-old was shot in the head in a pro-democracy protest in Omdurman, bringing the total death toll to 41 Sudanese dead since October 25th. Depending on what tactics – diplomatic or a law and order standpoint – Hamdok utilizes to quell the protests, should make you care 6/10 as the latter may increase the death count.
Who else cares? Representatives from the US, the UK and the EU released a joint statement backing their support for the reinstatement of Hamdok. Whereas protesters do not support the deal, the group said they were “encouraged” to see their commitment to the 2019 agreement.
Any further comments? As the FFC strongly opposes the agreement signed by Hamdok, 11 of the ministers who represented the group resigned in protest. The group argued that the agreement “legitimises and perpetuates the military coup regime”.
