Why is Sudan so unstable?

ON JANUARY 2ND the prime minister of Sudan resigned in despair after another day of street protests against the government. Abdalla Hamdok had managed barely six weeks in office. He accepted the post reluctantly, after being released from detention and reinstated by the same army that had originally deposed him after a coup on October 25th. The amiable former economist had hoped taking the role would forestall violent confrontation between his own activists, campaigning for democracy, and the callous General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Instead, Mr Hamdok ended up with the worst of all worlds. His erstwhile supporters, accusing him of lending a semblance of legitimacy to the putschists, took to the streets in ever-larger numbers. The army, meanwhile, ignored his attempts at moderation and mowed them down. More than 50 protesters have been killed since October.