JEM Rejects Appointment of its Spokesman in Sudan’s New Cabinet

February 8, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Several leading figures of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rejected the appointment of the group’s spokesman Motasim Ahmed Saleh as a Minister of Social Development.

Motasim Ahmed Saleh (ST photo)Before the announcement of the new government, Suleiman Sandal, JEM political secretary issued a statement recalling that the Movement sent an official letter to the prime minister in which it withdrew its candidates and kept one candidate in each ministry.

After the formation of the new cabinet, JEM leading members - via the social media - voiced their opposition to the appointment of Saleh at the ministry of social development.

Ibrahim Elmaaz a JEM leading member posted a tweet wondering how the prime minister ignores Ahmed Adam Bakhit, a veteran leader in the group and their first candidate for the ministry of social development.

Initially, JEM submitted three candidates for the position including Bakhit and Saleh.

Sources close to the issue said JEM leadership expressed its concern to the South Sudanese mediation and requested its intervention to remediate the problem.

For his part, Saleh wrote on his Facebook page saying that the council of partners rejected the second list presented by JEM leader because the first one has been already endorsed.

However, he asserted that the ministry of social development has been allocated to the group which can at any time change its ministers.

In principle, all the political groups except, the military component have to submit a list of three candidates for a ministerial portfolio and the prime minister has the latitude to pick one of them.

The SPLM-N Agar called for the involvement of women in the new cabinet and announced that they have one candidate: Buthaina Ai Dinar.

In a series of a tweet posted after the formation of the peace government as he says, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok denied rumours that he was opposed to the appointment of Gibril Ibrahim as Finance Minister.

He stressed that JEM is a peace partner and that "the implementation of the Sudan Peace Agreement passes through such stations".

(ST)