Sudan has Appointed a Prime Minister to Govern During the Transitional Period
Abdalla Hamdok says that peace and resolving the economic crisis are his top priorities.
Earlier this month, the leader of the main opposition coalition, Ahmed Rabie, and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), signed a constitutional declaration just shortly after signing their first power-transfer deal. The declaration detailed how a Sovereign Council, consisting of six civilians and five members of the military, would oversee the governing of Sudan during the three-year transitional period to complete civilian rule. Recently, Abdalla Hamdok, was sworn in as the transitional prime minister, according to the BBC. His appointment comes after Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was appointed the leader of the Sovereign Council, Aljazeera reports.
Hamdok served as a senior economist at the UN for close to a decade and stepped down from his position last year. With very little ties (if at all) to former President Omar al-Bashir, save that he refused al-Bashir's nomination to become Sudan's Finance Minister back in 2018, Hamdok appears to be a somewhat neutral party.
Speaking about his intended course of action in his new role, Hamdok said that, "The government's top priorities are to stop the war, build sustainable peace, address the severe economic crisis and build a balanced foreign policy."
READ: Sudan's Revolution Isn't a Fluke—It's Tradition
Sudan has been through an incredibly tumultuous political time. Following the ousting of al-Bashir back in April after nationwide protests, the military took over to "maintain order" in the country. However, since the military's rule began, many Sudanese civilians have lost their lives. The deadly crackdown of June 3rd saw over 100 protesters staging a sit-in in the capital Khartoum, lose their lives after the military ordered their violent dispersal. A month later, four students were killed by snipers at a mass demonstration in the city of El-Obeid.
It is hoped by many that Hamdok's appointment along with that of the Sovereign Council will usher in a new dawn for Sudan.
