An assassination attempt that targeted Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Khartoum on Monday was carefully planned and was the first of its kind in three decades, according to a statement by the attorney-general's office that was seen by Sputnik
KHARTOUM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th March, 2020) An assassination attempt that targeted Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Khartoum on Monday was carefully planned and was the first of its kind in three decades, according to a statement by the attorney-general's office that was seen by Sputnik.
Earlier in the day, Hamdok's motorcade was targeted by assailants in the Kobar district of the Sudanese capital while the prime minister was traveling to work, a government statement confirmed. An explosive device detonated near the motorcade before the attackers opened fire. A member of the prime minister's entourage received minor injuries, while Hamdok himself was not injured, according to the statement.
The attorney-general's office also released a statement in the aftermath of the incident, calling the attack a crime against the state, in accordance with the country's Criminal Code of 1991 and the Counter-Terrorism Act adopted in 2001. The assassination attempt was meticulously planned, the attorney-general's office added.
No attack of this scale had taken place in Sudan during the previous thirty years while ousted President Omar al-Bashir was in office, the attorney-general's office also said in the statement. The country's attorney-general has already personally inspected the site of the attack, and the office called on citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
Former president al-Bashir was ousted in April after a period of instability that began at the end of 2018, amid an economic downturn. Al-Bashir was removed from power and imprisoned, pending investigation of possible war crimes relating to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur.
Hamdok has served as the Sudanese prime minister since August 21.
