Middle East Desk Report
KHARTOUM: Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok survived an assassination attempt early on Monday targeting his convoy in the capital Khartoum, state television and a cabinet source said. Hamdok, who was appointed to head a transitional government after the overthrow last year of long-time president Omar al-Bashir, was well and had been moved to a safe location, state media reported.
The attack came as Hamdok’s government is struggling to manage a severe economic crisis that triggered months of protests against Bashir, and continued after his downfall. Images broadcast on regional TV channels and social media showed a convoy including several damaged white SUVs and a badly damaged car. Three witnesses told media the attack happened near the northern entrance to Kober bridge, which connects Khartoum North with the city centre, where Hamdok’s office is. The convoy appeared to have been targeted from above, they said. State radio said the convoy had been hit by gunfire and a projectile, while state TV said it had been targeted by a car bomb. “I saw the moment of the explosion and the strike, and the strike came from a high building,” one eyewitness said. Hamdok leads a government of technocrats under a power-sharing agreement between the military and civilian groups for a transitional period due to last until late 2022.
