Sudan prime minister, recently reinstated after military coup, resigns amid tense stalemate

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, deposed by the military in an October coup then reinstated in November under international pressure, resigned in a televised statement Sunday. The Oct. 25 coup derailed a tenuous power-sharing agreement between the military and pro-democracy civilian groups that helped unseat longtime ruler Omar al-Bashar in 2019.
"Hamdok's resignation follows weeks of wrangling between civilian and military leaders over the formation of a new government, but their differences proved insurmountable," The Washington Post reports.
In his resignation announcement, Hamdok said he had been unable to bridge the divides between the ruling military council and the pro-democracy movement. "I have had the honor of serving my countrymen for more than two years. And during his period I have sometimes done well, and I have sometimes failed," he said. "I tried as much as I possibly could to prevent our country from sliding into a disaster. Now, our nation is going through a dangerous turning point that could threaten its survival unless it is urgently rectified."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An umbrella group of political parties and pro-democracy groups, the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, had rejected the November deal that had allowed Hamdok to return to office.
Hours before Hamdok's resignation, pro-democracy demonstrators flooded the streets of Khartom, the capital, and Omdurman, in the latest protest since the October coup. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, killing at least three people, according to the Sudan Doctors Committee, bringing their post-coup protest death toll to at least 57. Hundreds of other protesters have been wounded, and the United Nations has reported allegations of sexual violence against protesters, including 13 women and girls who have alleged rape and gang rape by security forces during recent protests.
The ruling council, chaired by military leader Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has vowed to investigate the violence against protesters, carried out largely by police and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). "Much of Sudan's business interests are now controlled by military and paramilitary figures, and analysts say one major reason they have clung to power, and continue to delay the election timeline, is to buy time to secure continuing control over those interests," the Post reports.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Video games to curl up with this fall, including Ghost of Yotei and LEGO Party
The Week Recommends Several highly anticipated video games are coming this fall
-
‘Peak consumption has become the Holy Grail of the energy debate’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery case
Speed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission
Speed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'