Abdallah Hamdok
Abdallah Hamdok born in 1956 in the former province of Kordofan, is a Sudanese statesman. He has been Prime Minister of the transitional government since. On October 25, 2021, he was arrested by armed men during a coup d'état before being reinstalled in his post 1 month later.
Biography
Prior to his appointment to the post of Prime Minister Hamduk served on numerous national and international executive positions. From November 2011 to October 2018, he was Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). UNECA staff described Hamduk as “a diplomat and a humble person with a brilliant and disciplined mind”.
Studies
Born in 1956 in Kordofan, Abdallah Hamdok first obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Khartoum, then joined the School of Economic Studies at the University of Manchester, where he obtained a doctorate in economics.
Professional career
He worked as Deputy Executive Secretary at the Economic Commission for Africa from 2011 to 2018. He has also worked at the International Labor Organization and the African Development Bank . In, he declined the post of Minister of Finance, and thus retained his post at ECA.He first worked at the Ministry of Finance Sudanese in the 1980s, before the coup of 1989 state that led General Omar al-Bashir to power. He then went into exile and moved to Zimbabwe where he worked for the consultancy firm Deloitte.
Prime Minister of the transitional government
Designation
In , four months after the overthrow of Omar al-Bechir as part of the Sudanese revolution , he was chosen as Prime Minister of the transitional government by the Alliance for Freedom and Change, the main opposition coalition. He takes the oath.
First measures
Its main tasks consist of reconnecting with foreign countries, obtaining the end of American sanctions, as well as with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It must also diversify the economy and end armed conflicts within six months. To do this, he plans to set up a commission responsible for peace talks. Finally, it promises the establishment of a government balanced between men and women and representative of the different regions of the country .
He forms his government on , composed of eighteen ministers including four women , including Asma Mohamed Abdallah , who occupies the sovereign post of Minister of Foreign Affairs . The new cabinet is sworn in on.
Foreign policy
In December 2019, Hamdok traveled to the United States. He hopes to get the country removed from the list of countries supporting terrorism. The United States decides to appoint an ambassador to Khartoum for the first time in 23 years.the , the African Union lifts the suspension of Sudan.
Unlike General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan , President of the Sovereign Council , Abdallah Hamdok is opposed to a diplomatic rapprochement with Israel.
Domestic policy
On November 4, 2019, he went to Darfur, a region he promised to pacify. The residents' claims to transfer ex-President Bechir to the International Criminal Court, however, remain unanswered, due to opposition from the military who took power in April 2019.
On November 28, he announced the dissolution of the former ruling party, the National Congress. On December 13, the country's unions, close to the old power, were dissolved. The law on corporal punishment, inspired by the Sharia, is also repealed.
On March 9, 2020, he survived aterrorist bomb attack .
On May 7, excision was penalized.
On July 9, after demonstrations, a reshuffle was carried out with the replacement of eleven ministers including that of Health, Finance and Foreign Affairs.
In June 2021, an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for economic aid and the cancellation of part of Sudan's debt insists on the need to "reduce the role of the state in the 'economy and mobilize private investors'. It is also underlined, with regard to public enterprises, that a strategy is necessary “to determine which ones are to be privatized”.
Coup in 2021
At the end of 2021, his government appears weakened due to tensions with the army, the economic crisis and its unpopularity. Austerity measuressuch as the removal of subsidies on basic foodstuffs imposed by the IMF have exacerbated poverty especially in rural areas. On September 21, an attempted coup led by officers and civilians linked to the former regime of Bashir was reportedly repulsed. During October, demonstrations organized at the initiative of a dissident faction of the Forces for Freedom and Change led by a leader of Darfur, Mini Minawi, and Gibril Ibrahim, until then Minister of Finance, demanded the seizure of power by the army. Pro-civilian protests are being organized in return, in particular by the Sudanese Communist Party , which itself opposes the government of Abdallah Hamdok and demands the dissolution of the militias of theRapid Support Forces.
Four days after massive demonstrations in support of the creation of a civilian government, a coupled to the arrest of leaders from civil society on the morning of October 25. Abdallah Hamdok is initially held at home with his wife, the coup plotters seeking to get him to sign a declaration of support for the coup. Faced with his refusal, he is taken to an unknown destination. A state of emergency is declared by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and communications (internet and telephone) are cut. The Sudanese Professionals Association(the main pro-democratic political group in the country) and the Communist Party called, shortly before communications were cut, for mobilization to thwart the coup. Protests are suppressed by the army, causing several deaths .
Views
Agriculture
Hamduk pushed for a switch from subsistence agriculturetowards “more dynamic, commercially oriented” agriculture in Africa, announcing in 2014 that Africa is self-sufficient in food, but that 300 million Africans are starving. Referring to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) assessment of the impact of global warming 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Hamduk noted that effects such as reduced rainfall could prevent Africa from reducing extreme poverty. To combat hunger, Hamdock proposed infrastructure improvements (such as methods for processing, storing and transporting surplus produce to markets); use of "climate information"; improved water resources management; and closer integration of agriculture with national industry and research institutions.
Women's rights
As prime minister, Hamduk had a role at the end of August 2019 to select ministers from a list of candidates proposed to him by the Forces of Freedom and Change (FCC), in addition to the interior and defense ministers who were to be chosen by the military. Sovereignty Council. Hamduk deferred deciding which candidates to choose, stating that one of the reasons for his objection was that there were too few women on the list. He stated that he would "take into account the fair representation of women." Four women became ministers in Hamduk's cabinet: Asma Abdullah as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lina al-Sheikh as Minister of Social Development and Labor, Valaa Essam al-Bushi as Minister of Youth and Sports, and Intisar el-Zein Sugairun as Minister Higher education.
In November 2019, the Sudanese government removed all laws restricting women's freedom to dress, travel, [12] association, work and study. Hamduk praised the women in a post on social media , stating that the laws were "an instrument of exploitation, humiliation, violation, aggression against the rights of citizens." In 2020, Hamduk passed a law banning female genital mutilation. This change constitutes an amendment to section 141 of the Sudan Penal Code. This act is defined as the removal or mutilation of "the female genitalia by cutting off, mutilating or modifying any of their natural parts, leading to the complete or partial loss of their function."
Overthrow
On the night of October 25, 2021, Hamduk was arrested by the military. On October 26, 2021, at a press conference, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that Prime Minister Hamduk is at his house "as a guest to protect him from the restrictions imposed on him by political forces." Later the same day it was reported that Hamduk returned home.
Personal life
Hamduk married fellow economist Muna Abdullah in 1993 in the south of Manchester. They have 2 adult sons; one is studying at the University of Exeter in 2019 and one graduated from a university in the United States in the late 2010s.
