Sudan PM resigns, 2 protesters killed during demos

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Sunday announced his resignation from his post in the wake of the political crisis in the country, reported Xinhua.

"I announce to you my resignation from the post of prime minister to make way for another person from the daughters or sons of this generous country," said Hamdok in a speech to the Sudanese people broadcast by the official Sudan TV.

"You have granted me the honor to be prime minister at this delicate and hopeful circumstance, and I have tried my best to prevent our country against the danger of sliding into disaster," he said.

"Under the differences within the political forces and the nihilistic conflicts among all the components of the transition, and despite what I have done to achieve the desired and necessary consensus to fulfill what we have promised the citizens with of security, peace, justice and stopping of bloodshed, yet that did not happen," he added.

Hamdok stressed the importance of initiating a comprehensive dialogue to end the political crisis in the country.

"The key word towards a solution to this dilemma, which continued for over six decades of the nation's history, is to resort to a round-table dialogue involving all components of the Sudanese society and the State to agree on a national charter and set a road-map to complete the civil democratic transformation," he said.

It is not immediately clear who will succeed Hamdok and there seemed to be no visible candidates as the country has been experiencing a political crisis after General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25 and dissolved the Sovereign Council and government.

On Nov. 21, Al-Burhan and then removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a political declaration, which included reinstating the latter as prime minister, but the deal has so far failed to calm the street.

The street protests were also fuelled by popular discontent with rising prices of food, gases and household essentials in the country.

Meanwhile, two protesters were killed during demonstrations in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) and dissolved Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Two people were killed in Omdurman after being shot in the heads, increasing the total death toll to 56 since Oct. 25, when thousands of Sudanese citizens demonstrated in the capital and other cities to demand civilian rule, the dissolved ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.

CCSD, a non-governmental organization, also confirmed in a statement on its Facebook page that two persons died during Sunday's rally.

Early on Sunday, protesters gathered in Khartoum's busiest bus station Sharwani, and marched to the Republican Palace.

The internet service on mobile phones was suspended on Sunday. Khartoum State's police declared in a statement that bridges connecting the three major cities of Khartoum, Khartoum Bahri, and Omdurman, Sudan's most populated city and located opposite the capital, had been closed.

Military personnel had been stationed at the entrances to the Al-Halfaya and Suba bridges, according to eyewitnesses.

Sudanese security forces also erected concrete barricades and barbed wire around the army's general command headquarters, as well as the routes leading to the presidential palace in Khartoum.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis since General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25 and dissolved the Sovereign Council and government.

On Nov. 21, Al-Burhan and then removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a political declaration, which included reinstating Hamdok as prime minister, but the deal has so far failed to calm the street.