Abdalla Hamdok: Economist who gave Sudan hope, tumbled in storm
Sudan is thrown into the abyss of political dilemma once again after the country’s Prime Minister Dr Abdalla Hamdok lived firmly to his words and resigned.
Having been reinstated after being deposed in the October 25, 2021, military coup, Dr Hamdok resorted to serving a short-term stint in the Khartoum transitional government, which was so far riddled with mistrust characterised by his arrest and detention in the military takeover.
When resigning on Sunday, January 2, 2022, Hamdok said he had reached a point of ‘no return’. He said his desire was to see the country enter full stability, but that has remained just a mirage. The anti-military protests have taken hold of the country since his infamous ouster and even after the military succumbed to the calls for Hamdok’s reinstatement and returned him to the position; the noise remained deafening. Around 57 people have been killed in the protests so far.
“I tried as much as I possibly could to prevent our country from sliding into a disaster. Now, our nation is going through a dangerous turning point that could threaten its survival unless it is urgently rectified,” he was quoted saying by Aljazeera.
“I decided to give back the responsibility and announce my resignation as prime minister, and give a chance to another man or woman of this noble country to … help it pass through what’s left of the transitional period to a civilian democratic country,” he was further quoted saying.
To Sudanese citizens, Hamdok represented a civilian face in leadership. But this was in jeopardy after he reclaimed his position under the unpopular peace agreement that was midwifed in a post-military takeover late last year.
Known for his instrumental role in the midwifery of the South Sudanese peace agreement as the chairperson of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Hamdok has coined a name not only in Khartoum but also beyond the borders.
Who is Hamdok?
Born on January 1, 1956, in Sudan, Dr Abdalla Hamdok, also known as Al-Kinani in Arabic grew up to become a respected economic in the country and the continent. He holds a bachelor of science from the University of Khartoum and a doctorate in economics from the University of Manchester in the UK.
He served as the country’s finance ministry as an economist and senior policy analyst on development across Africa.
Hamdok’s hour of honour came in 2019 when he was picked as the country’s 15th prime minister to steer the transitional government after the removal of the former president Omar al-Bashir, who was indicted by the International Criminal Court at The Hague in the Netherlands.
His darkest moment also came when the country plunged into a serious financial crisis characterised by inflation and job losses which according to analysts, may have contributed to the downfall of Mr Bashir.
In the post-Bashir era, the former PM took over and managed to convince the USA to remove Sudan from the list of ‘‘terror sponsors’’, hence creating an enabling environment for economic stability. Hamdok also convinced global financial institutions to provide debt relief to Sudan. Besides this, his regime signed peace treaties with rebel groups to enable the country to gain peace.
Nonetheless, the volatility and mistrust remained the primary concerns, with the former PM being a target of attempted assassination on March 9, 2020, when a car was blown in Khartoum.
Under his leadership, Sudan and South Sudan initiated remedial talks to clear the outstanding conflicts on the boundary issues. The South Sudanese Minister of Information, Michael Makuei and the Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Angelina Teny, are part of the team which is solving the conflicts.
Below are some of Hamdok’s achievements in brief:
Before becoming prime minister, Hamdok worked for the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank and as a special adviser at the Trade and Development Bank in Ethiopia. He studied economics at the universities of Khartoum and Manchester.
He was named prime minister in August 2019 by the Sovereign Council, a ruling body of civilians and the army that was set up to oversee a transition towards democracy after long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir was toppled.
Upon taking office, he said his priorities included solving an economic crisis, addressing a public debt burden, and achieving peace in a country long fractured by civil wars.
He quickly started talks with International Monetary Fund and World Bank to discuss restructuring Sudan’s debt.
He also opened talks with the United States to have Sudan removed from its list of states that sponsor terrorism, a designation that had isolated Sudan from the international financial system since 1993. Sudan was removed from the list in 2020.
On his watch, the IMF accepted Sudan into the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative based on the country’s commitment to macroeconomic reforms. This put Sudan on the path to relief on more than $56 bln in debt and access to new funds.
The economic reforms he promoted included the removal of fuel subsidies that cost several billion dollars a year and the devaluation and floating of the currency. He also sought to bring under government control firms owned by the security forces.
A few weeks before he was removed from office on Oct. 25, he acknowledged the hardship arising from reforms but expressed hope that their positive impact would be felt on the ground very soon. “The Sudanese people have borne a very high cost of the reforms and we cannot take their patience for granted,” he said.
He is a firm supporter of Sudan’s transition to civilian-led rule. As tensions grew between the army and civilians in the power-sharing administration in September, Hamdok presented a roadmap out of crisis.
“I am not neutral or a mediator in this conflict. My clear and firm position is complete alignment to the civilian democratic transition,” he said.
His stance has won him support among the population. During rallies against the coup, protesters carried photos of Hamdok and hung banners featuring him from billboards.
After signing a deal to return as prime minister, a move opposed by many protesters and political figures who had previously supported him, Hamdok said he had done so to halt bloodshed after several dozen civilians had been killed during demonstrations.
[Additional reportage by Reuters]