By Theodore Jones –
Sudan’s military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, on Sunday officially signed a contract to restore the latter to the position he had lost during the October coup.
Lt-Gen Burhan, who had been under pressure from both internal and foreign opponents to hand up authority to the civilian administration, decided to keep Mr Hamdok in charge. For the previous month, the prime minister had been under house arrest.
The move was one of several announced on Sunday, ostensibly to weaken the military’s grip on power and allow for a much-needed civilian transition.
Earlier, Mr Hamdok had agreed to return to the PM’s post, something he had rejected for weeks since the coup on October 25 which also saw a number of his Cabinet members detained.dan
As a result, the junta lifted his house arrest, and they signed a deal to formally start establishing a new transitional government.
The agreement between Gen Al-Burhan and Mr Hamdok provides for the release of all political detainees in the country, while stressing the acceleration of the formation of transnational governance institutions.
The agreement also stressed that the constitutional document, known as the Constitutional Declaration, is the main reference for completing the transitional phase in Sudan. The two leaders, however, agreed it will need amendments to expand political participation.
