U.S. Feltman Plays Down Reports About Hamdok’s Resignation

December 22, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of African Jeffery Feltman minimized reports about the possible resignation of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and described it as a “hypothetical”.

Sources close to Hamdok Tuesday said he was seriously considering resigning after the popular rejection of his framework agreement with the coup leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the challenges he faces to form a cabinet of technocrats.

However, several reports said on Wednesday that he postponed his resignation in response to local and international calls.

Speaking to the State Department-funded Alhurra TV on Wednesday, Feltman said they were in contact with Hamdok after the release of reports about his resignation.

“This is a hypothetical thing. I saw the news and we were in direct contact with Prime Minister Hamdok today,” he said according to the Arabic translated version of his video statements.

He added that the prime minister is “frustrated by his attempts to move forward on many issues”.

Feltman pointed out that the Sudanese official is trying to promote a transition that leads to a civil democratic government in the East African country.

Different reports say the prime minister complain about his rejection by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) which accused him of betrayal.

Also, it was reported that he believes that a technocratic cabinet cannot include former rebels who joined the transitional government after the Juba peace agreement.

Furthermore, there is no signal for a political declaration that should be adopted by the political forces, in line with the 21st November deal.

Only, the signatory groups allied to the military sought to draft a text that the FFC reject to be part of a process that legitimize the coup of October 25.

Hamdok entourage blames some FFC groups that brokered his agreement with al-Hurhan saying they now refuse to join the political declaration.

The Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs confirmed there were calls with Hamdok and al-Burhan but did not indicate if the American interlocutor was Molly Phee U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs or Special Envoy Feltman or both of them.

“Appreciate the opportunity to have important discussions with Prime Minister Hamdok and Sovereign Council Chair Burhan today. The U.S. continues to encourage Sudan’s leaders to take the steps necessary to deliver on the aspirations of the Sudanese people for freedom, peace, and justice,” reads a tweet posted on Wednesday.

The special envoy underscored that Hamdok is “a very important player” in the ongoing transitional process in Sudan stressing that he represents the civilian component of the civil-military arrangements.

“The issue is not related to him, but to the weight of civilians within the transitional authority and the role they must play in influencing the course of the transition,” he quickly added.

“These are the things that he should move about, and that may have frustrated Prime Minister Hamdok,” he concluded.

In Khartoum, sources close to the military-controlled Sovereign Council said al-Burhan called Hamdok urging to reverse his resignation.

Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, Sovereign Council Deputy Chair met with Hamdok to dissuade him from resigning.

For his part, Khalid Omer Youssif former Cabinet Affairs Minister and leading member of the Sudanese Congress Party wondered why Hamdok blamed the FFC for his failure to form a new cabinet.

“The current crisis is the direct result of the coup. Talking about the failure of political forces to strike a political declaration is consistent with the rhetoric of the putschists and their justification for the (coup), Youssif said.

He added they were the main target of the coup stressing that al-Burhan arrested them and erased their name from the constitutional declaration.

(ST)