UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed “shock and sadness’’ over the reported assassination attempt on the Prime Minster of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok.
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Briefing newsmen in New York on Monday, his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said the UN chief “stands in full solidarity with the PM and the people of Sudan at this difficult time’’.
Hamdok tweeted about the incident, which reportedly involved an attack on his convoy in the capital Khartoum earlier on Monday, assuring of his safety.
The Sudanese PM stated that the attempt on his life only served as “an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan”.
The attack comes seven months after his appointment as head of Sudan’s transitional government in August following the ouster of long-time President Omar al-Bashir.
No one or group had claimed responsibility for the incident as at the time of filing this report.
But the country remains on edge after last year’s political transition led to many once-powerful individuals, especially in the military, being sidelined, according to the BBC.
The joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) also released a statement expressing “deep regret” at the attempted assassination.
UNAMID’s Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo, stated that “we are both deeply shocked and saddened by this serious incident’’.
He said: “It is indicative that the perpetrator(s) of such a heinous act aims to derail the transitional period.
“The hopes of the Sudanese people for a transition to peace, freedom and justice must prevail.
“UNAMID and its leadership reiterate their full support to Prime Minister Hamdok in his endeavors to see Sudan through a successful transition in a manner that achieves the hopes and aspirations of the Sudanese people for a peaceful, stable and prosperous future.’’