In this Aug 21, 2019, file photo, Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok speaks during a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan. Sudan's state media March 9, 2020 says Hamdok has survived an assassination attempt after a blast in the capital Khartoum. (PHOTO / AP)

CAIRO/KHARTOUM — Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok has survived an assassination attempt targeting his convoy in the capital Khartoum, state television and a source in the cabinet said on Monday.

Hamdok has been moved to a safe location, state television said

Hamdok, who was appointed to head a transitional government after the overthrow of long-time President Omar al-Bashir last year, has been moved to a safe location, state TV said.

The attack came as Hamdok’s government is struggling to manage a severe economic crisis that triggered months of protests against Bashir, and continued after his downfall.

Images broadcast on regional TV channels and social media showed a convoy including several damaged white SUVs and a badly damaged car.

Three witnesses told Reuters the attack happened near the northern entrance to Kober bridge, which connects Khartoum North with the city center, where Hamdok’s office is.

The convoy appeared to have been targeted from above, they said. State radio said the convoy had been hit by gunfire and a projectile, while state TV said it had been targeted by a car bomb.

“I saw the moment of the explosion and the strike, and the strike came from a high building,” one eyewitness said.

Large crowds of onlookers gathered as police tried to secure the site.

Hamdok leads a government of technocrats under a power-sharing agreement between the military and civilian groups for a transitional period due to last until late 2022.

Relations between civilians and the military have been tense, and the government has come up against resistance as it tries to implement economic reforms.

Transitional authorities are also taking steps to disempower Bashir’s supporters, including parts of the security services.

In mid-January, armed security agents linked to Bashir fought soldiers in Khartoum for several hours, after a dispute linked to severance packages.

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Soon after Bashir’s ousting, authorities said they had thwarted several coup attempts by military officers.

“The attempted assassination of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is the new episode in a series of coup plots against the revolution,” Khalid Omer, a leading member of the civilian coalition that backed last year’s uprising, said on Twitter.

Hamdok is an economist and former senior UN official who is well connected with the international community.

“What happened will not stop the path of change, it will be nothing but an additional push in the strong waves of the revolution,” Hamdok said on Twitter.

Thousands of anti-military protesters have held demonstrations in recent weeks to support Hamdok and his government.

After Monday’s attack the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded the anti-Bashir movement, called for further demonstrations to show unity and support for civilian rule.

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Sudan’s information minister Faisal Salih said on Monday that “terror attempts” and the dismantling of the old regime were matters that would be dealt with decisively, in the first official remarks after an attempted assassination of the prime minister.

“The prime minister’s convoy was targeted in a terrorist attack as he was heading to work,” Salih said.

“Terrorist attempts and dismantling the old regime will be dealt with decisively,” he added.

Salih said investigations are ongoing to determine who was behind the attack.