US, EU 'warn' Sudan's Al-Burhan against naming own PM
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Days after the resignation of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, the "troika on Sudan" and the EU warn the military against appointing their own PM.
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Sudan's top army general, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan
The United States and the European Union warned Tuesday Sudan's military and coup leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan against naming his own premier following the resignation of former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok amid anti-coup protests.
The so-called troika on Sudan, which constitutes of the US, the UK, and Norway, and the EU "will not support a prime minister or government appointed without the involvement of a broad range of civilian stakeholders," read a joint statement issued by the US State Department.
The western powers said they still believed in the democratic transition of Sudan, which has started in 2019 after mass protests all over the country. However, they warned the military against not moving forward.
"In the absence of progress, we would look to accelerate efforts to hold those actors impeding the democratic process accountable," the three states and the 27 nation bloc warned.
The Troika and European Union called for elections - set under the transition timetable for 2023 - and for the building of an independent legislature and judiciary.
"Unilateral action to appoint a new prime minister and cabinet would undermine those institutions' credibility and risks plunging the nation into conflict," the statement added.
"To avoid this, we strongly urge stakeholders to commit to an immediate, Sudanese-led, and internationally facilitated dialogue to address these and other transitional issues."
The Western powers also again voiced alarm at the military's actions against street protests.
The warnings came after the Sudanese forces killed two protestors during a rally in Omdurman, the capital Khartoum's twin city.
"The right of the Sudanese people to assemble peacefully and express their demands needs to be protected," the statement concluded.
The latest killing of protestors at the hands of the Sudanese armed forces is speculated to have caused the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
The former prime minister stressed that he made his best effort to enhance freedoms and lift the country off the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, get Sudan out of international isolation and reintegrate it into the international community.
"The crisis in Sudan today is political, but it is on its way to becoming a comprehensive one," he asserted.
Earlier today, the Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at protestors rallying in defiance of the military rule in Khartoum and other cities
Just two days after the resignation of Prime Minister Abdala Hamdok, protestors rallied against the military, shouting, "No, no to military rule," and called for the disbandment of the ruling council headed by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who led the coup on October 25.
