SUDAN’S military chiefs agreed today to reinstate ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok — but the Communist Party warned that civilian leaders should not be hoodwinked into a new alliance with the army that recently overthrew them.

Mr Hamdok signed an accord with the army live on TV and claimed: “The signing of this document opens the door wide enough to address all the challenges of the transitional period.” Sudanese military and civilian leaders both claim to be navigating a path to democracy following the revolution that toppled long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Government officials, speaking anonymously, said that UN and US go-betweens had played a “crucial role” in crafting an agreement between the army and various political parties, including Sudan’s largest, the Umma party, which will set up an “independent technocratic” government. They added that political prisoners would be released.