Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned Sunday, as widespread pro-democracy protests rocked the country. The protestors condemned the October coup that initially unseated Hamdok from the position of prime minister, as well as the deal that brought him back to power about four weeks later, calling it an impermissible concession to military rule. He resigned in a televised address on Sunday evening, citing the failure of repeated mediation attempts in recent days, and emphasised on the need to engage in a “new dialogue” to “chart a path” towards a democratic, civilian state.

According to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, two protestors were killed just hours before Hamdok addressed the nation, pushing the number of people killed during the pro-democracy protests to 56. In a televised address, Hamdok said:

I tried as much as I could to [prevent] our country from sliding into disaster … But despite my efforts to achieve the desired and necessary consensus to give citizens security, peace, justice and to stop bloodshed, that did not happen … Our country is going through a dangerous turning point that may threaten its entire survival if it is not remedied soon.

During the televised address, Hamdok appeared alongside Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief who had ousted him from power and detained him in his own home. The two leaders signed a 14-point agreement which included the military’s commitments to release all the political prisoners and to ensure democratic consolidation in the country.

Following the development, the US State Department’s Bureau for African Affairs said via Twitter that it hoped the country would ensure continued civilian rule. “Sudan’s next PM and cabinet should be appointed in line with the constitutional declaration to meet the people’s goals of freedom, peace, and justice … The United States continues to stand with the people of Sudan as they push for democracy. Violence against protestors must cease,” the Bureau tweeted.