Why Sudan’s PM Hamdok resigned amid Junta violence and looting of UN World Food Program in Darfur?

The New Year’s weekend 2022 brought further evidence of the brutal suppression by the Military Junta of Marches of the Millions in Khartoum and major state capitals. The weekly protests have marshaled millions demanding the end of the military Junta. Junta violence occurred amid chaos from these continuing mass protests throughout Sudan. The rampage may have been the main cause that forced the resignation this weekend of designated Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok. He failed to form a so-called technocratic transition government making it doubtful that elections of a civilian government in 2023 would occur.

Former Sudan PM Abdallah Hamdok

Why did Sudan P.M. Hamdok Resign?

The question in Sudan is why did Hamdok fail to constitute his technocratic government? The last action he took was signing a document to constitute a government with the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) excluding the Juba Peace Treaty signatories. When Junta leaders Generals Al-Burhan and Dogolo aka “Hemeti rejected his proposal, he announced his resignation. An anonymous source close to the Presidency revealed that senior members of the FFC Central including infamous businessman Osama Dawod, former Cabinet Affairs Minister Khalid Omer Yousif, former Industrial Minister Ibrahim al Sheik, Hajar, millionaire Mo Ibrahim, and others who sent a document to Hamdok stating that a government would only be formed with members of FFC who were imprisoned, excluding Juba Peace Treaty signatories. Hamdok agreed, signed the document, and took it to Burhan for approval. However, Burhan and Hemeti rejected the provision that would exclude Juba signatories. That Junta action triggered Hamdok’s resignation.

There is further unconfirmed information indicating that US, Saudi, Egyptian, and Emirate Ambassadors were working on an exit plan for Junta leaders Burhan and Hemeti. According to the proposed plan, Burhan would be exiled to Saudi Arabia while Hemeti would go to the UAE. The biggest problem this analysis revealed is that it would pave the way for the return of the National Congress Party (NCP) Muslim Brotherhood Organization as nine generals belonging to NCP would take over. They would establish a Transitional Military Committee to control a government that would be led by a Prime Minister. These are the generals who advised Burhan to reinstitute the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). Given this chaotic situation in Sudan, experts have also questioned if the US-Israel Abraham Accord with the regime has effectively died. According to these reports, the Umm Party proposed that the Abraham Accord would be put in abeyance leaving implementation to a future elected civilian government in Sudan.

Sudan protesters facing sniper shooting at Parliament building Omdurman, December 30, 2021

The Brutality of the Junta’s Suppression of Protesters gets personal.

The Junta revitalized the (NISS) that used live ammunition and tear gas to keep crowds of protesters from overrunning the Presidential Palace. These Junta enforcers stormed into foreign news agencies’ offices, beating and detaining journalists. At least four were killed during January 1, 2022 protests, and hundreds were injured. According to the Sudan Doctors Association, the cumulative casualty toll to date is 57 killed and 2,500 injured in the Marches of the Millions of protests since October 25, 2021, coup by Junta leaders Generals Al-Burhan and Dogolo aka Hemet.

One of those killed in the Omdurman protests this New Year’s Day weekend was Mustapha Mohamed Musa from Kutum, North Darfur, who is a relative of co-author, Lt. General Abakar M. Abdullah. Based on graphic video and forensic evidence Musa was shot in the chest by a sniper from a tall building in Omdurman using a high-powered large caliber rifle. Three other protesters were shot and killed in the same location.

Looting UN World Food Program warehouse El Fashir Darfur, December 3, 202

Looting by Junta RSF/Janjaweed of UN World Food Program in Darfur weaponized Hunger.

The United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) suspended its humanitarian operations in the Northern Darfur Region following attacks and looting of three of its compounds in El Fashir. The suspension of UNWFP humanitarian aid constitutes a victory for the RSF/Janjaweed militias’ leaders and Junta military leaders Generals Al-Burhan and Dogolo aka Hemeti. They have been seeking the end of UNWFP humanitarian aid for years to complete the Darfur genocide atrocities. Our sources on the ground sent pictures and videos showing a large crowd of people including soldiers looting the UNWFP building in El Fashir. The first looting of the UNWFP facility occurred on December 3, 2021, at the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) building that was handed over to El Fashir University. Senior Junta government authorities orchestrated that episode. The looting in El Fashir this past weekend was led by the RSF/Janjaweed militias’ leader aka Issa al Misih (Jesus Christ) who attacked the facility with six heavily armed Toyota pickup trucks. When he and his soldiers finished, he called upon his relations in the city to join the looting. The news soon spread in the city creating chaos. The looting strategy was adopted by the Khartoum Junta regime and implemented by the RSF/Janjaweed militias to disperse residents from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. The dispersion strategy began under the deposed Bashir regime to shut down the IDP camps but failed then because of the presence of the UNAMID forces.

Administrative Map of North Darfur

Following the exit of UNAMID from Darfur, the former Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) regime and its RSF/Janjaweed militias implemented the strategy of dispersing the IDP camps in Darfur through the destruction of anything related to UNAMID. The UNAMID Headquarters in Nyala, South Darfur was looted on December 27, 2019. Looting began by government agents, including RSF/Janjaweed militias for a period of one month, and then abandoned the facility to the public to dismantle it. That was followed by the horrific attacks, looting, and burning of Kirindang and Abuzar IDP camps, in March and April 2021 that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, displacing the residents. Further, the Junta displaced thousands of villagers in Kolgue and areas around Tawilla, North Darfur. The militias prohibited the villagers from returning to their villages preventing them from farming. The RSF/Janjaweed militias continued the same mode of these attacks in the vicinity of El Fashir killing people, burning villages, and looting properties including livestock displacing thousands. The RSF/Janjaweed militias’ displacement attacks were also conducted in Jebel Moon and other areas in Western Darfur. The weaponized looting of UN humanitarian compounds is a deliberate strategy to use hunger to disperse the IDP camps, consequently implementing the overall Arab Coalition plan aimed at ethnical cleansing of the indigenous people of Darfur from their land. The attacks at Jebel Moon have not ended as the RSF/Janjaweed militias are mobilizing in the areas of Amdukun, southwest of al Geneina. Reports indicate that the Khartoum regime transported military equipment including motorcycles by helicopter. According to the sources close to the area, helicopters land daily or twice a day bringing weapons and war materials.

Conclusion

We urge the UNWFP not to suspend its humanitarian assistance program and request the international community provide UN forces to protect people and their properties in Darfur. Further, we urge consideration by the Biden Administration and the Congress of issuing direct sanctions against Junta leaders and withdrawal of US-backed international financial relief for prior indebtedness.