Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned Sunday, as widespread pro-democracy protests rocked the country. Protesters condemned the October coup that initially ousted Hamdok from the post of prime minister, as well as the deal that brought him back to power some four weeks later, calling it an unacceptable concession to the military regime. He resigned Sunday evening in a televised address, citing the failure of repeated attempts at mediation in recent days, and stressed the need to initiate a “new dialogue” to “chart a path” towards a civil and democratic state.

According to Sudanese Central Committee of Physicians, two protesters were killed just hours before Hamdok addressed the nation, bringing the number killed in pro-democracy protests to 56. In a televised address, Hamdok said:

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

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

As a result of this development, the Office of African Affairs at the US State Department said via Twitter that it hoped the country would ensure the maintenance of civilian rule. “The next Prime Minister and the next cabinet of Sudan should be appointed in accordance with the constitutional declaration to achieve the goals of freedom, peace and justice of the people … The United States continues to stand by the Sudanese people as they pushes for democracy. Violence against demonstrators must end ”, the Bureau tweeted.