Sudanese prime minister sets 4 aims for political deal with military

Sudanese transitional Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said Tuesday that there were four basic aims from a political agreement between him and the head of the ruling military council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The agreement announced Sunday between Hamdok and al-Burhan, stipulates 14 points, including the return of Hamdok as prime minister, formation of a qualified professionals' (technocratic) government, release of political prisoners and a pledge to jointly continue the nation’s democratic path.

In a meeting with presidents of Sudanese universities, he said the deal aimed to preserve Sudan from bloodshed, protect its territory, continue the peace process and the civilian and democratic transformation, and the nation’s economy.

While the deal was largely welcomed by the international community, Sudanese political forces have labeled it an "attempt to legitimize the coup.”

Twelve ministers representing the Sudanese Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition, announced their resignations Monday in protest of the agreement.

Following al-Burhan measures that deposed Hamdok’s government on Oct. 25, Sudan witnessed mass rallies and protests that caused the death of 41 civilians, according to Sudan's Doctors Committee.

Before the military takeover, Sudan was administered by a sovereign council of military and civilian officials which was overseeing the transition period until elections in 2023 as part of a precarious power-sharing pact between the military and the FFC.