Photo / By Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times /  Abdalla Hamdok, Prime Minister of the Republic of the Sudan at UN world headquarters  New York Sep. 27, 2019.

By Gary Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok escaped an assassination attempt Monday after an explosion went off near his convoy in capital city Khartoum.  A statement from the prime minister’s office said the attackers used explosives and firearms, and that a security officer was lightly wounded. 

Sudan PM “Safe and in  Good Shape”

I would like to assure the people of Sudan that I am safe and in good shape. Rest assured that what happened today will not stand in the way of our transition, instead it is an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan. pic.twitter.com/zeC2A4k2N0

— Abdalla Hamdok (@SudanPMHamdok) March 9, 2020

It is unclear who carried out the attack. The political situation in Sudan remains volatile after last year’s political transition that broke up the domination of the military, forcing many powerful players out.

Sudan installed a civilian-led government in the Eastern African nation last September 2019, following the overthrow of long-time authoritarian President Omar al-Bashir. Sudan named Hamdok as prime minister, who then formed the country’s first Cabinet since  al-Bashir was ousted last April.

“We paid a hefty price for this revolution for a better tomorrow and for sustainable peace. Our revolution should always be guarded by its peacefulness.”

-Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok