The situation in Khartoum after the announcement of the resignation of Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok is calm and there is no threat to the security of the Russian embassy, Georgy Ambartsumyan, head of the consular department of the Russian embassy in Khartoum, told TASS on Monday.
"The situation in Khartoum is quite usual for the current times. Hamdok's statements yesterday about his departure did not have any positive or negative effect on the local population. They have been demonstrating about once a week, and they are still demonstrating. Right now, there are no new rounds of aggression in connection with the announcement of his resignation," said the embassy.
The representative of the embassy specified that there are no new protests, only planned demonstrations. At the same time, according to him, the protest movement is diminishing.
The diplomat also noted that at the moment there is no threat to the Russian embassy. "However, the embassy is taking all possible measures to ensure the safety of the Russian embassy, as well as contacts with Russian citizens who are currently living in Sudan," he pointed out.
According to the diplomat, the embassy is in constant contact with the local authorities. "They do not depend on protests or anything else. Our contacts are always constant," he concluded.
On Sunday, Al Arabiya TV reported that the newly appointed head of the Sudanese government, Abdalla Hamdok, announced his resignation. He explained that his decision was largely due to the ongoing protests and was aimed at "regaining the people's trust and enabling others to build and preserve this country" after his own efforts had "stalled." Hamdok warned that the country is currently "at a dangerous moment that could jeopardize its survival."
Situation in the country
Last week, the television channel Al Hadath reported on protests in Khartoum which turned into clashes between protesters and police. According to the channel, tear gas and stun grenades were used to disperse the protesters. According to Al Hadath's sources, three people were killed during the protests in the city of Omdurman near Khartoum.
On October 25, the military arrested a group of high-ranking officials led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. On November 11, amid strong protests, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan formed a renewed Sovereign Council of Sudan, and on November 21 a political agreement was reached between military and civilian forces that included reversing the decision to remove Hamdok from office.
According to Arab media reports, there have been periodic protests in Khartoum against the military-civilian agreement.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS