Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has formed a "crisis cell" to resolve what he has called the country's "most dangerous" political crisis since the 2019 military coup, state news agency Suna reported.

Mr Hamdok announced the committee, which includes members of opposing political blocs, during an "emergency" cabinet meeting in Khartoum on Monday.

He called for restraint and dialogue to end weeks of political tensions that have threatened to derail the country's transition to democracy.

His comments came after police dispersed military-backed protests demanding the dissolution of the transitional government.

The protests began on 16 October in front of the presidential palace to call on the army to seize power.

Sudan is currently run by a joint military-civilian Sovereign Council in a coalition that was troubled by a failed 5 September coup attempt.

The military wing is scheduled to hand over the leadership of the Sovereign Council to the civilian component next month, although there is speculation that the coup attempt was a move to scuttle this transfer.