Sudan: why Abdallah Hamdok fails to form a government

Sudan's government, including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, agreed a peace deal with rebels AFP

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2 min

In the aftermath of massive protests against the coup, the political situation still seems uncertain in Sudan.

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok has returned to his post for a month and still no government has seen the light of day.

Its task promises to be more complicated than expected.

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With our correspondent in Khartoum,

Abdallah Hamdok was arrested on October 25, the date of the coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, whose men had also detained almost all of the civilian representatives of the Sudanese transition.

Placed under house arrest for several weeks, this former economist of the African Commission of the United Nations, was then widely acclaimed by the street who demanded his release.

A wave of popularity that finally shattered after his return and the signing on November 21 of a

.

"Serious political error"

General Burhane brought Abdallah Hamdok back to his post by giving him the task of forming a government of technocrats pending elections promised by the military in July 2023. This agreement was seen as a betrayal by large sections of the pro-democracy camp and many political parties and civil society organizations. In accordance with the agreement he signed with the junta, Abdallah Hamdok must first conduct political consultations with various party representatives before forming a government.

But the Prime Minister is isolated.

Only a small team of academics or former ministers has remained loyal to him.

" 

," comments Yassir Arman, a former adviser who has turned his back on him.

He believes that Abdallah Hamdok does not have the power to reverse the decisions taken by General Burhane, in particular the hundreds of appointments of relatives of the army to key positions in the administrations.

Political stalemate

The Prime Minister returned to the scene " 

 ", confides one of his relatives. Hamdok has not obtained any guarantee that the military will not repeat their coup. They said he would have full latitude to form a cabinet of technocrats. Yet some ministers who support the coup seem steadfast. This is the case of Gibril Ibrahim, Minister of the Economy and signatory of the Juba peace accords, who continues to visit his office daily.

The junta had castigated divisions within the Forces for Freedom and Change.

The generals insist that these political parties are incapable of leading the country.

However, in the midst of a state of emergency, the opposition is trying to structure itself.

A political rally took place last Friday, December 17 in the capital.

But the rally was dispersed in tear gas.

The country is certainly plunged into a political impasse, but the fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression are not respected.

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• Sudan

• Abdallah Hamdok