BY TESFANEWS*
Sudan’s prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, has survived an assassination attempt after his motorcade was targeted with an explosion and gunfire in the capital, Khartoum while heading to his office.
“I would like to assure the people of Sudan that I am safe and in good shape,” Hamdok has tweeted.
The attack highlighted the fragility of Sudan’s transition to civilian rule, almost a year after pro-democracy protesters forced the military to remove autocratic President Omar al-Bashir from power and replace him with a joint military-civilian government, which has promised to hold elections in three years.
It is not yet clear who carried out the attack. Hamdok said the attack only served as “an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan”.
The political situation in Sudan remains precarious after last year’s political transition led to many once-powerful individuals, especially in the military, being sidelined.
However, Sudan’s generals remain the de facto rulers of the country and have shown little willingness to hand over power to civilians.
Hamdok, in his brief statement on Twitter, said, “Rest assured that what happened today will not stand in the way of our transition, instead it is an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan.”
A statement from the prime minister’s office said the attackers used explosives and firearms, and that a security officer was lightly wounded. The statement was read by Faisal Saleh, Sudan’s information minister and interim government spokesman.
The Minister said investigations had begun to find out who was behind what he called a “terrorist attack”.
“Terrorist attempts and dismantling the old regime will be dealt with decisively,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
We paid a hefty price for this revolution for a better tomorrow and for sustainable peace. Our revolution should always be guarded by its peacefulness.
— Abdalla Hamdok (@SudanPMHamdok) March 9, 2020
We are aware of the attack on @SudanPMHamdok’s convoy this morning in Khartoum & are monitoring the situation closely. The US strongly supports #Sudan’s civilian-led transitional govt and stands with it and the Sudanese people. https://t.co/64A5kkteW5
— Bureau of African Affairs (@AsstSecStateAF) March 9, 2020
