Categories: AFRICALatest

Former Rebel Chiefs Named in Sudan’s New Cabinet

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced Monday a new cabinet bringing in seven ex-rebel chiefs as ministers, following a peace deal in October aimed to end decades of war.

Veteran rebel leader and economist Gibril Ibrahim, of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) – which played a major role in the Darfur conflict – was appointed as Sudan’s new finance minister.

“We have reached consensus on over 25 ministries,” Hamdok said, during a press conference in Khartoum.

“This lineup aims to preserve this country from collapse… we know there will be challenges but we are certain that we will move forward.”

Hamdok dissolved the previous cabinet on Sunday to make way for a more inclusive lineup in government.

Two ministers were selected from the military, with the remaining coming from the Forces for Freedom and Change group, which plays a key role in Sudanese politics.

The group was the driving force behind the anti-government protests that led to the April 2019 ouster of strongman Omar al-Bashir.

Hamdok named as foreign minister Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, daughter of Sudan’s last democratically elected prime minister, Sadiq al-Mahdi, who died aged 84 in November from a coronavirus infection.

He was toppled by Bashir in a 1989 Islamist-backed military coup.

Last week, Sudan appointed three ex-rebels to the ruling sovereign council, the civilian-majority ruling body led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which was installed months after Bashir’s ouster.

It follows the peace deal last year between the transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of five rebel groups and four political movements, including the troubled western region of Darfur.

Hamdok said he is still pushing for talks with two remaining holdout groups who did not sign the deal.

Fighting in Darfur since 2003 left at least 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN.

Hamdok said his government will continue with completing other pillars of the peace agreement, including establishing a transitional parliament by February 25.

Despite the October peace deal, violence continues in Darfur, a vast and impoverished region awash with weapons where bitter rivalries over land and water remain.

Hamdok said the new government will focus on fixing the ailing economy.

Sudan’s economy was decimated under Bashir by decades of US sanctions, mismanagement and civil war, as well as the independence of oil-rich South Sudan in 2011.

Galloping inflation, chronic hard currency shortages, and a flourishing black market remain pressing challenges, with protests in recent weeks at the worsening economy.

Ibrahim, the new finance minister, taught as an economist at universities in Khartoum and Saudi Arabia before he took over leadership of the JEM rebels when his brother Khalil was killed in a 2011 airstrike.

The government will also have to tackle stormy relations with neighbouring Addis Ababa, amid both border tensions and long-running negotiations — along with Egypt — over the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

Victor Okhai: Trump’s Presidency Could Be a Game-Changer, Cause Nigeria To Look Inward And Break Free From Foreign Aid Dependency

Victor Okhai has argued that Trump’s presidency could encourage Nigeria to reduce foreign aid reliance…

48 mins ago

Equatorial Guinea Suspends Officials Involved In Sexual Misconduct In Government Offices

Equatorial Guinea's VP has announced the suspension of officials involved in sexual misconduct within government…

53 mins ago

IGP Egbetokun Orders Investigation Into Treatment Of Minors In Police Detention

Following outrage over the arraignment of minors, IGP Egbetokun has directed a probe into minors’…

1 hour ago

Voting Begins in US Presidential Election As Trump And Harris Face Off

Americans are headed to the polls to choose the next president in a tightly contested…

3 hours ago

Court Dismisses Case Against Protesters Charged Over Protests, Releases Minors Charged With Treason

An Abuja court has struck out the case against #EndBadGovernance protesters as the AGF discontinued…

4 hours ago

Britain Detects Two Additional Cases Of New Mpox Variant, Total Reaches Three

The UK has confirmed two more cases of the new mpox variant, clade Ib

5 hours ago