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| Sudan’s new Prime Minister in the transitional government Abdalla Hamdok, addresses a news conference in Khartoum, Sudan August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah |
The African Union (AU) on Friday lifted its suspension of Sudanโs membership in the bloc, ending a three-month freeze that had been in place pending the installation of a civilian government after the ouster of long-term President Omar al-Bashir.
Sudanโs membership was suspended in June following the violent dispersal of a main protest site in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum during which opposition medics said dozens of people were killed and amidst a standoff between ruling military men and civilian opposition.
But after the military and civilian parties and protest groups signed a three-year power-sharing deal in August, Sudan named Abdallah Hamdok as prime minister. On Thursday Hamdok formed the countryโs first Cabinet since April, when Bashir was unseated.
Meeting in Ethiopiaโs capital, Addis Ababa, the AUโs peace and security council on Friday voted to lift Sudanโs suspension, it wrote on its Twitter page.
The Sudanese foreign ministry hailed the decision in a statement on Friday, saying: โ(We) use this great occasion to reaffirm our commitment to the goals and objectives of the African Union.โ
REUTERS
