FRANCE 24 spoke to Abdalla Hamdok, who served as Sudan's prime minister twice after the fall of Omar al-Bashir in 2019. As the war in his country entered its second year, the former premier described the situation as "extremely catastrophic, probably the most serious, disastrous situation in the world today". Yet he expressed hope that the war "will come to an end", noting "some progress" in regional and national efforts towards a political solution.
Abdalla Hamdok is currently head of the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces (Taqaddum), a civilian coalition involved in Sudan's peace negotiations.
He spoke to FRANCE 24 on a grim anniversary. Sudan is now one year into a devastating war between rival military factions: on one hand, the army headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan; on the other, the RSF paramilitary commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
Death toll 'grossly underestimated'
Violent clashes have forced millions to flee and created a humanitarian catastrophe. Nearly 16,000 people have been killed over the past 12 months, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
"I think this is grossly underestimated. The death toll could be multiples of that," Hamdok asserted.
"It's a disastrous situation today, but I'm an eternal optimist. I don't think there is a war that can last forever. It will come to an end. We are working on that," the Taqaddum head said.
"We are seeing gradually some sort of convergence," Hamdok said. Back in January, Sudan's warring parties held unannounced talks in Bahrain. The former premier called this "a step in the right direction, bringing more actors into the process".
Click on the video player to watch the full interview.
