Sudan’s Prime Minister Escapes Assassination Attempt Unscathed

Sudan's prime minister survived an assassination attempt as he traveled in a convoy through the capital of Khartoum on Monday morning. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Abdalla Hamdok, who has held Sudan's top civilian position since August.

Government spokespeople gave conflicting reports of how the assassination attempt unfolded and were not clear on whether the attack caused casualties, though images broadcast from the scene on state media showed relatively little damage to the convoy.

Hamdok, an economist and former U.N. official, tweeted pictures of himself in his office a short while later, smiling behind his desk while a television replayed scenes from the attack, which took place near a bridge over the Nile River connecting Khartoum with its northern suburbs.

Hamdok leads the civilian government, which has pushed for the normalization of relations with Western countries and sought the lifting of Bashir-era sanctions on Sudan. Doubts over the military’s continuing role in Sudanese politics have left those efforts hamstrung, and the Sudanese economy is experiencing major inflation, as well as shortages in essential commodities such as petroleum.

“I would like to assure the people of Sudan that I am safe and in good shape. Rest assured that what happened today will not stand in the way of our transition, instead it is an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan,” Hamdok wrote on Twitter.

amdok’s government has expressed openness to referring Bashir and other ex-government figures to the International Criminal Court, where they are wanted for crimes against humanity and other charges related to brutal and widespread crackdowns during their tenure in power. Bashir is currently in Kobar prison, in the same neighborhood where Monday’s assassination attempt took place.

After the attack, prominent leaders from last year’s protests called on people to once again take to the streets to demonstrate support for Hamdok and call for greater independence from the military.

Sudan was convulsed by protests last year that brought about the ouster of Omar Hassan al-Bashir, an autocrat who had ruled the country since 1989. He was replaced by former allies in the military, who then ceded to some protest demands such as the creation of a civilian government that would share power with the military.