(5 minutes read)
· The Sudan’s prime minister carried out a major overhauling of the ministerial team. In the process, he replaced the finance, foreign, energy and health ministers.
· The reshuffle was aimed at accelerating the country’s political transition following calls from pro-democracy groups for faster change.
· The reshuffle could pave the way for the signing of a delayed peace deal with some of Sudan’s rebel groups
The Sudan’s prime minister carried out a major overhauling of the ministerial team. In the process, he replaced the finance, foreign, energy and health ministers. The reshuffle was aimed at accelerating the country’s political transition following calls from pro-democracy groups for faster change.
The reshuffle could pave the way for the signing of a delayed peace deal with some of Sudan’s rebel groups. The rebel groups are expected to get seats in transitional bodies including the cabinet and a legislative council that is yet to be formed.
Premier Abdalla Hamdok leads a government of technocrats under a 39-month power-sharing agreement between the military and civilian groups. This arrangement came into being following the removal of long-time President Omar al-Bashir last year.
One of the surprise decisions in the reshuffle was the exit of finance minister Ibrahim al-Badawi. He was making efforts to steady Sudan’s crisis- ridden economy, launching subsidy reforms and liaising with foreign donors. Badawi gave no reason for his resignation. There are reports that he stepped down on his own. The appointment of senior finance ministry official Heba Ali as Badawi’s caretaker replacement was intended to signal continuity. Caretaker replacements were appointed to all seven ministries.
In the meantime, Sudan’s civil aviation authority has resumed operations from Khartoum international airport partially. Flights from Egypt, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates landed at the airport. The decision to resume flights is in line with the supreme committee for health emergencies, which decided to gradually ease measures taken to combat coronavirus in Sudan.
