(Photo : SARAH MEYSSONNIER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok gives a press conference with French President and Sudan's Prime Ministere during the International Conference in support of Sudan at the temporary Grand Palais in Paris, on May 17, 2021.
Sudanese protesters flocked to the Presidential Palace in Khartoum after Abdalla Hamdok was reinstated as the prime minister of the current transitional government in the country.
However, reports are claiming that Hamdok was forced to make a deal with military chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan so that the former officers detained during last month's coup could be freed.
Hamdok and Al-Burhan also laid out several agreements following the prime minister's reinstatement. But not all will reportedly benefit the people of Sudan.
The two leaders reportedly agreed to restore the Council of Ministers, which was dissolved last month. A unified army will also be created, and a committee will be formed to investigate last month's coup.
Additionally, Sudan's constitution will be amended to include new articles that will outline the partnership between civilians and the military in the transitional government.
Sudanese prime minister's new agreement dubbed as humiliating
Mudawi Ibrahim, an official in the National Forces Initiative, called the deal between Hamdok and Al-Burhan humiliating. He also said that the prime minister was forced to sign the agreement for the country's sake.
"There are so many people dying on the streets...so the Prime Minister had to take this step and accept the humiliation. But how can we remove the military? If there is a way to remove the military, we could have done this, we don't have the power to remove the military, we don't have arms, we don't have tanks," Ibrahim told CNN.
Protesters not happy with Abdalla Hamdok's deal with the military
Following Hamdok's release and reinstatement as prime minister of Sudan, hundreds of demonstrators protested against the deal. Police officers were forced to fire tear gas to prevent the large demonstrators from injuring the officials.
According to DW, the civilian coalition Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) rejected Hamdok and Burhan's new deal because this only reinstated the prime minister's role but not the rest of the civilian government.
Prior to last month's coup, the FFC shared power with the military.
Theodore Murphy, director of the Africa program at the European Council for Foreign Relations, said that the recent deal is not a return to the status quo but a diminishment of the civilian's role to a junior partner.
Antony Blinken calls agreement an important first step
On the other hand, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Hamdok's reinstatement a crucial first step in restoring the public's confidence in the transitional government.
Blinken also urged those who wanted to protest to do so peacefully. He also said that security forces should be banned from using any form of violence against demonstrators, according to Al Jazeera.
Earlier this month, Hamdok and the military coup leaders also agreed on the importance of Democratic transition following several months of conflict.
Both parties engaged in peace talks after the United Nations and the United States urged them to resolve their issues.
Shortly after the peace talks, Blinken released a statement saying that both parties finally agreed to work together, according to Reuters.
Related Article: Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdok, Leaders of Military Coup Agree on Importance of Democratic Transition After Months of Conflict
