Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has said an agreement he signed with the country’s top generals, who took charge of the country last month, will give him the authority to form his own independent government.
One day after signing a deal with Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Mr Hamdok said the government would focus on rewriting Sudan’s constitution and holding elections on time.
The agreement envisions an independent, technocratic Cabinet to be led by Mr Hamdok until elections can be held in 2023. It also stipulates the release of all political prisoners.
While Sudan would still remain under military supervision, Mr Hamdok said he would have the power to make the government appointments.
“This was a key part of the political agreement we signed,” Mr Hamdok was quoted as saying by AP, “that the prime minister should have the power and the authority to form an independent technocratic government, in complete liberty and without any pressures.”
The proposed government would replace the one he had led since August 2019 under a power-sharing deal between the military and a pro-democracy alliance. This was preceded by months of street protests that ultimately forced generals to dismiss Omar Al Bashir in April of that year.
On Monday, up to 12 ministers resigned from their posts including Foreign Minister Mariam Sadiq Al Mahdi.
Ms Al Mahdi said that she and her colleagues were protesting against Mr Hamdok before signing the new deal without consulting his Cabinet.
In an interview with the Atlantic Council, she also described what took place in Sudan as a “coup”.
“We expected him to call us even for 10 minutes before he goes to this gathering,” Ms Mahdi said. “But none of that happened.”
The deal was swiftly rejected as legitimising the military takeover by the country’s main pro-democracy movements, including the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), the political power base of Mr Hamdok’s former government.
The Sudanese Armed Forces said it wanted to emphasise that last month’s military intervention occurred only because some politicians had tried to hijack the policymaking process, causing the civilian government to drift deeper into animosity and division.
But pro-democracy groups launched civil disobedience campaigns since the takeover, with street protests commonplace.
Local resistance committees and the Sudanese Professionals Association – which was among the groups that led demonstrations in the uprising that toppled Al Bashir – organised rallies in an attempt to reverse the military takeover.
Internet services have been down across most of the country since October 25 and phone coverage remains patchy.
“Whoever once believed in Hamdok, the man is dead. But those who believe in the revolution should know that it does not die,” the resistance committees of Khartoum said in a statement.
“We in the committees of Khartoum hereby declare that the deal which was struck does not concern us at all and we are adhering to our position: no negotiations, no partnership and no bargaining. November 25 will be a day of loyalty to the martyrs and to reassert our resolve to bring down the coup leaders, both military and civilians.”
Supporters of the new deal hope that Mr Hamdok can work with the generals to pave the way for elections, potentially leveraging his position as well as international support to help get the political transition back on track.
But fears remain of a return to the tug-of-war of the last two years, which embittered both sides of the political crisis.
The pro-democracy movement has vowed to keep up the street protests until the military hands over power to civilians. But the generals have much to lose and a prolonged stand-off could ignite wider disorder.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Mr Hamdok and separately to Gen Al Burhan on Monday, urging ‘’both leaders to work rapidly to put Sudan’s democratic transition back on track”, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Mr Blinken said the leaders should move to consolidate their agreement, ‘’including creating a transitional legislative council, judicial structures, electoral institutions and a constitutional convention”, Mr Price said.
The military takeover has drawn international criticism. The World Bank paused economic aid and stopped processing any new operations in Sudan, while some major multinationals backtracked on signing lucrative contracts linked to the nation.
Western powers have put economic assistance to Sudan on hold, and said that relief for tens of billions of dollars of foreign debt is in jeopardy unless there is a return to a democratic transition.
Opposition to the deal between Mr Hamdok and the military underlines the fragility of Sudan’s democratic transition and leaves the prime minister without a power base to back him as he continues his ambitious economic reforms.
The latest development does not bode well for the stability of Sudan at a time when its economic woes are deep and most of its 40 million people struggling to make ends meet.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E153hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E200Nm%20at%204%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.3L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh106%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MORE FROM CON COUGHLIN
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
