On January 2nd, Abdalla Hamdok resigned from his position as Sudan’s Prime Minister following months of upheaval. Only two months prior, Hamdok was ousted during a military coup and takeover, but was able to reassume his position, through compromise with military leader, ​​Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. His resignation comes amidst civilian protests as a reaction to his recent deal to share power with the Sudanese military. With the prime minister absent, the question of which power will appoint the new prime minister, is up in the air.

Hamdok first became Sudan’s leader following the overthrow of its previous authoritarian leader Omar Al-Bashir, who was overthrown in 2019 after 30 years in power. Following this overthrow, the Transitional Military Council worked together with the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance (a rebel and civilian political coalition), to legally create a 39-month plan to restore democracy in Sudan. This resulted in the appointment of Hamdok, a pro-civilian leader, as Prime Minister. Despite this formed agreement, the two groups have still been at odds. Following his controversial decisions to aid the economy, the military overthrew Hamdok and placed him under house arrest. 

The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres encouraged the Sudanese people to support the reinstated Prime Minister. This way, Sudan could have “a peaceful transition towards a true democracy,” despite their “indignation” following Hamdok’s military-inclusive solution. However, the public outcry and backlash by pro-democracy and anti-military civilians seems to have pushed the Prime Minister to step down. “I tried as much as I could to avoid our country slipping into catastrophe, and now our country is at a dangerous turning point that may threaten its survival if it is not remedied soon. […] I decided to give back the responsibility and announce my resignation as prime minister, and give a chance to another man or woman of this noble country, to help it pass through what’s left of the transitional period to a civilian democratic country,” Abdalla Hamdok said in a televised address.

This resignation does leave Sudan in a dangerous situation, as the military could use their current advantage to break the temporary constitution in place, and appoint a new leader in their own favor. The military has proven to be a violent force, as according to BBC News, 45 peaceful protesters were killed due to military gunfire in an attempt to subdue protestors’ efforts. Article 18-3 of Sudan’s post-2019 transitional constitution, grants the Forces of Freedom and Change the power to choose the prime minister in the event the position becomes vacant. It is imperative that the FFC acts swiftly in order to elect a leader who can represent civilians. They also need to unite the staggering 80 political parties currently competing for control of the state, as well as collaborate with the military to ensure that no more civilians are killed during political demonstrations.