Abdalla Hamdok, Sudan’s Prime Minister, has resigned, just a day after mass protests rocked the capital, Khartoum.
Thousands of protesters marched against a recent agreement Hamdok had brokered in order to share power with the army, who staged a coup in October, last year.
With chants of “Power to the people”, protesters called for a return to full civilian rule but, sadly, military forces again responded with force, leaving two people dead.
In a televised address, Hamdok said the country was at a “dangerous turning point that threatens its whole survival”.
He revealed he had tried his best to stop the country from “sliding towards disaster”, but that “despite everything that has been done to reach a consensus… it has not happened”.
An economist by training, Hamdok who is widely respected in the international community had previously worked as an official with the United Nations.
He helped negotiate a deal to forgive some of Sudan’s debts but this involved removing fuel subsidies, leading the prices of many basic goods to rise, and to anti-government protests.
Hamdok’s decision to quit leaves the army in full charge of the sub-Saharan country.
