Sudan PM on foiled military coup: ‘What happened is a lesson learnt’

In response to the foiled coup attempt in Omdurman this early morning, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok gave a speech in which he stressed the importance of unity of the various democratic forces in the country.

The following is a translation of the speech that was published in full by the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) on its Arabic site today.

“The Sudanese people and the forces of the revolution. Glory to the martyrs of the Sudanese Revolution, and the martyrs of the great December Revolution who sacrificed their lives for the march of the people towards freedom, peace, justice, stability and development.

“At dawn today, you witnessed the failed coup attempt, which targeted the revolution and all the achievements of our great people, to undermine the democratic transition* to a civilian government, and to close the way to the movement of history. However, as usual, the determination of our people was stronger [..].

“I met with the leadership of the Forces for Freedom and Change and have been in continuous contact with the president of the Sovereignty Council. I shall follow up on this important situation, and reveal the facts to our people.

“What happened was an orchestrated coup by parties inside and outside the armed forces. It was another attempt of the remnants of the former regime to abort the civil democratic transition. The attempt was prepared extensively, as witnessed by the lawlessness in the cities and towns, the exploitation of the situation in the east [eastern Sudan], the blocking of highways, the closure of ports, the disruption of the oil production, and the continuous incitement against the civilian government.

“The coup is a manifestation of the national crisis that we referred to in the initiative The Way Forward**, and it confirms the need to reform the security and military apparatus. It calls for a complete, clear and transparent review of the transition process, and the realisation of a partnership based on the principles of the revolution and a way that leads to a civil democratic transition, nothing more.

“For the first time, people have been arrested while carrying out a coup. This calls for revealing the full facts to the Sudanese people and the world, and holding all those involved, military and civilian, accountable, in a transparent way and according to the law.

'The coup confirms the need to reform the security and military apparatus. It calls for a review of the transition process, the realisation of a partnership based on the principles of the revolution, nothing more.' – Abdallah Hamdok

“The government and the relevant bodies, including the Committee to Dismantle the June 30 Regime***, will take immediate measures to fortify the transition [to democracy), and continue to dismantle the June 30 regime which still poses a threat to the transition.

“At a time when our national economy is clearly witnessing a recovery, and the new economic policies have begun to bear fruit, as shown by all macroeconomic indicators, the mandate of the government and the Ministry of Finance over all financial resources and revenues must be strengthened and should be directed to the improvement of the living conditions of our people, as a priority issue.

“We call on our people to exercise their right by all peaceful means to support the transitional government and fortify the transition. Institutions like the Legislative Council, the Constitutional Court, the High Judicial Council, the High Prosecution Council and a number of commissions need to be completed.

“The unity of the forces of the revolution and change is the guarantor and strengthens the democratic, civil transition and the achievement of the goals of the revolution. What happened is a lesson learnt and a stimulus to really and seriously reflect the ways to set things right. Glory and eternity to the martyrs, and may God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.”

* In August 2019, the new military and civilian leaders of the country signed the Constitutional Document (also called Constitutional Charter) in which they agreed to lead Sudan to democracy and rebuild the country. The transitional period would last 39 months after which general elections will be held. During peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and a number of rebel movements in the South Sudanese capital of Juba however, it was agreed that the transitional period would start on the date of the signing of the Peace Agreement, October 3, 2020.

** The Way Forward is an initiative launched by Hamdok in June this year, in an attempt to unify the democratic forces in the country. The PM cautioned against the growing divisions within the transitional bloc, the absence of a unified centre for decision making, a lack of priorities and common perceptions of the transition. In August, he announced the formation of a mechanism “to create a broad consensus” for the implementation of the initiative.

*** The Committee for Dismantling the June 30 1989 Regime and Recovering Stolen Funds was formed in November 2019 after the transitional government approved a law to dismantle the institutions set-up by the regime of Omar Al Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP). Since then, the Committee has been instrumental in breaking the party’s grip on the political scene and state resources. However, many officials linked with the former regime are still deployed on state and locality levels.