Sudan’s reinstated Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok on Wednesday said all the appointments and dismissals made since last month’s military coup will be reviewed and political detainees will be freed over the next two days, reported Reuters.
Sudan’s top military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan grabbed power and detained Hamdok on October 25.
After the coup, the military chief dissolved many key institutions and dismissed the heads of state media, public companies, and banks as well as many provincial officials. Ambassadors who announced defections were also relieved of their duties.
On Wednesday, Hamdok said in a statement that he has ordered an immediate halt to dismissals and hirings in national and local public institutions until further notice. The prime minister, who is still without a cabinet after returning to his post in a controversial deal with Burhan, said recent hirings and dismissals will be studied and reviewed.
Hamdok was reinstated as the prime minister last Sunday following international condemnation and mass protests.
As part of the agreement signed with military leader al-Burhan, Hamdok, first appointed after the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir in a 2019 uprising, will lead a civilian government of technocrats for a transitional period.
Twelve out of 17 cabinet ministers submitted their resignation to Hamdok in protest against the political deal signed between the prime minister and the country’s ruling military council. They are calling for the establishment of a purely civilian government, free of military leaders.
Despite the agreement that led to the release of a handful of political leaders, dozens of others still remain in detention.
Protest organizers have accused Hamdok of treason and have promised to maintain pressure on the military-civilian authority overseeing Sudan’s transition. Activists have called for “Martyrs’ Day” demonstrations on Thursday in honor of the 41 protesters killed in the post-coup crackdown.
