CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s military and civilian leaders reached an agreement to reinstate Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, who was ousted in a coup last month. According to the agreement signed on Sunday, the military will also release government officials and politicians arrested since the October 25 coup.
The country’s top general, Abdel Fattah Burhan, said in televised statements that Hamdok would lead an independent technical cabinet until elections were held. It is not clear how much power the government will have. It will still remain under military surveillance.
The coup, more than two years after a popular uprising that forced the ouster of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamic government, drew international criticism.
Sudanese have been taking to the streets in public since the military takeover, which marked the country’s delicate transition to democracy. The settlement comes just days after doctors said at least 15 people had been killed by live fire during anti-coup protests. Hamdok has been placed under house arrest by military leaders for weeks.
Earlier, military and government officials who spoke of the deal said it would also see the release of government officials and politicians arrested since the October 25 coup. The largest political parties involved in the deal, the Ummah Party, issued a statement implying that it had not signed the deal.
Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information, said the United Nations, the US and others had played a “significant role” in drafting the agreement.
The United States, its allies and the United Nations have condemned the use of excessive force against anti-coup protesters.
Sudanese protests against the military coup that ousted the government last month, in Khartoum, Sudan, November 17, 2021. (Marwan Ali/AP)
Meanwhile, thousands took to the streets in the capital Khartoum on Sunday to condemn the coup and demand an immediate transfer of power to citizens.
Demonstrators waved Sudanese flags and chanted “Power is for the people! The army has to stay in the barracks.”
