Hamdok warns those seeking to spread chaos in Sudan

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok holds a press conference at Khartoum airport in the Sudanese capital on May 19, 2021. (File/AFP)

• Hamdok said the government will take action in accordance with the constitution on those threatening the peace
• Hamdok warned that the country is facing harsh conditions that threaten its unity

DUBAI: Sudan’s prime minister warned on Tuesday that his government will not tolerate those who aim to bring the country into a state of chaos and exploit the revolution.
Abdalla Hamdok’s comments were directed at loyalists of the previous regime, as he sought to defend reforms aimed to pull Sudan out of a deep economic crisis and stabilize a political transition.
Hamdok said that the government will take action in accordance with the constitution on those threatening the peace, state news agency SUNA reported on Wednesday.
The prime minister made the comments in a televised address days after protestors blocked roads in the capital Khartoum following the removal of fuel subsidies.
Hamdok warned that Sudan was at risk of entering a state of division due to the deteriorating security situation. The matter turned from freedom of expression movements to incidents of deadly attacks against revolutionaries, he said.
“We have seen how the revolutionaries peacefully dealt with the brutality of the former regime and its repressive tools.  But what is happening now is dissimilar to the revolution or the revolutionaries. It is good that the real revolutionaries paid attention to what is happening. The real resistance committees also confronted the attempts to distort their image and worked to change the situation. We call on them to continue that effort, as we believe that the real support for the transitional government are these masses,” Hamdok said.
He also urged the youth to stay away from anything that draws them towards violence. He added that some people are trying to deny any achievements of this revolution, even though freedom of expression is among its most important achievements.
“We are also aware of the importance and need of the security sector reform, which is what we keep in mind and work for day and night. Without carrying out the necessary reforms, our country will continue to be vulnerable to internal and external dangers," he said.
Hamdok warned that the country is facing harsh conditions that threaten its unity, and in which hate speech and the spirit of tribal discrimination spread. “This danger will not only threaten our country, but will drag the whole region into a state of instability. Any threat to stability in a country like Sudan will represent a unique and unprecedented situation in the world,” the prime minister added.