Sudan’s
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (pictured) survived an assassination attempt early on Monday
targeting his convoy in the capital Khartoum, state television and a cabinet
source said.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok has survived an assassination attempt targeting his convoy in the capital Khartoum |
Hamdok, who was appointed to head a transitional
government after the overthrow last year of long-time President Omar al-Bashir,
was well and had been moved to a safe location, state media reported.
The attack came as Hamdok’s government is
struggling to manage a severe economic crisis that triggered months of protests
against Bashir, and continued after his downfall.
Images broadcast on regional TV channels and social
media showed a convoy including several damaged white SUVs and a badly damaged
car.
Three witnesses told our reporter the attack
happened near the northern entrance to Kober bridge, which connects Khartoum
North with the city centre, where Hamdok’s office is.
The convoy appeared to have been targeted from
above, they said. State radio said the convoy had been hit by gunfire and a
projectile, while state TV said it had been targeted by a car bomb.
“I saw the moment of the explosion and the strike,
and the strike came from a high building,” one eyewitness said.
Large crowds of onlookers gathered as police tried
to secure the site.
Hamdok leads a government of technocrats under a
power-sharing agreement between the military and civilian groups for a
transitional period due to last until late 2022.
Relations between civilians and the military have
been tense, and the government has come up against resistance as it tries to
implement economic reforms.
Transitional authorities are also taking steps to
disempower Bashir’s supporters, including parts of the security services.
In mid-January, armed security agents linked to
Bashir fought soldiers in Khartoum for several hours, after a dispute linked to
severance packages.
Soon after Bashir’s ousting, authorities said they
had thwarted several coup attempts by military officers.
“The attempted assassination of Prime Minister
Abdalla Hamdok is the new episode in a series of coup plots against the
revolution,” Khalid Omer, a leading member of the civilian coalition that
backed last year’s uprising, said on Twitter.
Hamdok is an economist and former senior U.N.
official who is well connected with the international community.
Thousands of anti-military protesters have held
demonstrations in recent weeks to support Hamdok and his government.
After Monday’s attack the Sudanese Professionals
Association (SPA), which spearheaded the anti-Bashir movement, called for
further demonstrations to show unity and support for civilian rule. -
Africa
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