Reject PM Abdalla Hamdok's Agreement With The Military, Tens Of Thousands Of Sudanese Take To The Streets

Sudanese anti-coup rally. (Wikimedia Commons/Osama Eid)

JAKARTA - Tens of thousands of Sudanese protested in the streets of Khartoum and other cities on Thursday, maintaining pressure on military leaders after they reached a deal to bring back a civilian prime minister who was ousted in a coup one month ago.

Sudan's leading political parties and powerful protest movements have opposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's decision on Sunday to sign the agreement with the military, with some calling it a betrayal or saying it provided political cover for a takeover.

"A revolution is a people's revolution. The army is back in the barracks!" shouted protesters in Al Daim, a working-class district in Khartoum. They called for justice for "martyrs" killed in earlier demonstrations, citing Reuters November 26.

Protesters also blocked the main road in the Sahafa's neighborhood of the capital. Carrying Sudanese flags, they chanted "Burhan you will not rule. Down with military rule", referring to Sudan's military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Live broadcasts on social media also showed protests in cities including Port Sudan, Kassala, Wad Madani, and El Geneina in West Darfur.

Separately, the United Nations said reports indicated at least 43 people had been killed in inter-communal violence in Jebel Moon in West Darfur since November 17, with 46 villages burned and looted.

Sudanese anti-coup rally. (Wikimedia Commons/Osama Eid)

"We are also concerned about reports of rapes perpetrated against women and girls and reports of 20 missing children", said the UN mission to Sudan, calling on the government and armed groups that signed a peace deal last year to protect civilians.

Last month's coup raised questions about the future of the deal and efforts to end Sudan's decades-long internal conflict.

The civilian Coalition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), which had shared power with the military before the takeover, blamed the military in a statement on Thursday for allowing the security situation to deteriorate in Darfur.

While PM Hamdok's recovery is a concession by military leader General Burhan, major political parties and civilian groups say the army should play no role in politics.

Separately, University student Osama Ahmed said he protested because he believed Burhan wanted to overthrow the revolution and prevent the creation of a civilian state.

To note, under Sunday's deal, Abdalla Hamdok will lead a government of technocrats during a political transition expected to last until 2023, sharing power with the military.

It is intended to build on earlier agreements reached between the military and civilian political forces following the 2019 ouster of Omar al-Bashir when they had agreed to share power until elections.

The coup undermined that partnership, with the military, which had worked since then to strengthen its position by making appointments and moving staff in senior state jobs.

On Thursday, the cabinet secretariat issued a decree canceling all staff transfers in the government since October 25, preserving the cabinet's right to make future transfers.

The FFC and its former ministers have rejected the deal struck by Abdalla Hamdok, citing a crackdown on anti-military protests over the past month. Hamdok said the Sudanese authorities were committed to democracy and freedom of expression.