Economic Hardship, Peace Implementation Top Agenda of Sudan’s New Cabinet

Hamdok poses with the members of the second transitional govt on 10 Feb 2021 (ST photo)

February 10, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The second transitional government will work to achieve the goals of the transitional phase, at the top of which ending the economic hardship and ensuring peace full implementing, said the cabinet minister on Wednesday.

The new cabinet ministers took the oath on Wednesday, at the Republican Palace, in presence of the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, and Chief Justice Nemat Abdallah Mohamed Khair.

Speaking to the press following the swearing-in ceremony, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khalid Omer Youssef said that this government is a fruit of the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan and is the most diverse and broad political and social cabinet in the country’s history.

"The new government is the government of the revolution. It came through integration and consensus, and it will work to fully achieve its goals in full transparency with the Sudanese people," Youssef said.

He further said his government has set on the top of its programme five priorities including ending the difficult living conditions Sudanese are facing, implementing the provisions of the Juba peace agreement and negotiating a peace accord with the holdout groups, achieving security stability through the reform of the security and military sector.

He added that the new government’s priorities include achieving transitional justice and democratic transition at the end of the transitional period through the formation of the specialized commissions, enactment of election laws and the Constitutional Conference.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Hamdok chaired a meeting of his new cabinet to discuss the economic and security conditions in the country after receiving security reports on anti-government activities by the banned National Congress Party.

After the meeting, Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim stated that team spirit prevailed at the first meeting.

The ministers mainly discussed the security and economic conditions in the country and pledged to overcome obstacles, strengthen security, as soon as possible, he said.

He finance minister further stressed that the government will work to alleviate the suffering of people by stabilizing the national currency, increasing the country’s exports, controlling revenues, and reducing Government borrowing before to stop it.

On Wednesday, a video was circulated in the social media showing Ibrahim addressing the members of the Justice and Equality Movement, in which he said that he accepted the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to ensure the necessary funds will be allocated to implement the peace agreement.

(ST)