Name? Abdalla Hamdok
Westphalian identity? Sudanese
Age? 65
Why is he in the news? Early this morning, Sudanese officials foiled a coup d’état attempt led by followers of the previous Sudanese dictator, Omar Al-Bashir. The coup actors blocked the White Nile Bridge which links Khartoum to Omdurman in an attempt to take over the country’s state-run radio and television. Responding to the coup, Abdalla Hamdok, the current Prime Minister of the transitional government, accused the coup leaders of “[trying to] stop us from moving forward during this transitional period”.
Why do we care? Hamdok also noted about the coup attempt that, “for the first time, people involved in the attempt have been arrested”, implying that this was not the first foiled coup attempt during his tenure. With many Bashir loyalists in the military, the arrests and investigation into the recent attempt send a clear message to potential coup actors for the future.
Why should you care? In the case of Sudan, the security challenges posed by the Tigray crisis and the Grand Renaissance Dam already fill Abdalla Hamdok and the transitional government’s plate. In any other situation, a coup d’état during an unstable security position would be concerning, though because it was thwarted almost immediately you should care 4/10.
Who else cares? President Salva Kiir of South Sudan is likely worried about the potential instability as it could cause spillover into his nation as well as threaten Sudanese oil production, which South Sudan relies on. Moreover, instability would hurt cross-border trade, which is set to be reopened for the first time in 11 years.
Any further comments? Whenever such a badly executed coup occurs, we must immediately question whether this was an actual coup or just staged. Any survived coup always allows the individuals in power to strengthen their hold of the country and get rid of annoying opposition, as seen in the 2016 coup d’état against President Erdogan in Turkey.