Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, president of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council, has ordered the undersecretaries to take over ministerial functions, following the latest dismissals resulting from the coup d'état

Sudan faces formation of an acting government

photo_camera AFP/ASHRAF SHAZLY - Sudanese army senior general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan addresses a press conference at the General Command of the Armed Forces in Khartoum on 26 October 2021.

The country has been immersed in a political and social crisis since the beginning of January, following the resignation of Abdallah Hamdok as prime minister of the transitional period, due to disagreements with the military members of the Sovereign Council. These include problems such as the refusal to return the General Intelligence Service, the return of ambassadors dismissed by Al-Burhan, and the return of Sudanese television chief Luqman Ahmed, who was also dismissed by Al-Burhan. However, the main reason for his resignation was his inability to form a civilian government after the coup d'état of 25 October. His resignation provoked a massive demonstration by Sudanese against the military for making it impossible to form a civilian government that would lead to free elections and, therefore, the refusal to initiate a democratic process.  

In response, Al-Burhan, chairman of the Sudan Sovereignty Council expressed the need to form an independent interim government capable of carrying out functions for the citizens of Sudan, "the tasks of the transitional period, which are to achieve peace, establish security, address the problems of the people and hold elections, must be achieved," Al-Burhan said in a statement issued by the Armed Forces Spokesman's Office, a day after Abdallah Hamdok's resignation. 

AP/MARWAN AKI  -   El primer ministro sudanés Abdalá Hamdok anuncia su nuevo gabinete en Jartum, Sudán, el lunes 8 de febrero de 2021. El nuevo gabinete incluye a ministros rebeldes como parte de un acuerdo de paz que las autoridades de transición alcanzaron con una alianza rebelde el año pasado

Last Wednesday, a meeting between the Sudanese Sovereign Transitional Sovereign Council and the undersecretaries of the ministries was held, in which each undersecretary was assigned the functions of a specific ministry, with the aim of creating a path towards the holding of elections. The meeting also discussed developments in the country and the search for solutions to end the political crisis.

Following Wednesday's meeting, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the Sovereign Transitional Council, issued a decree the following day, announcing the list of the 15 undersecretaries and the ministries they will occupy, as well as the functioning of the ministerial bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Ali Sadiq Ali, and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, headed by Mohammed Abdullah Mahmoud. On the same Thursday, the first joint meeting, chaired by Al-Burhan, took place between the Sovereign Transitional Council and the Cabinet after the allocation of the posts. The meeting discussed and approved the budgets for the new year.  

PHOTO/AFP  -   Miles de manifestantes sudaneses a favor de la democracia se concentraron frente al palacio presidencial en Jartum, desafiando los gases lacrimógenos, un despliegue masivo de soldados armados y un apagón de las telecomunicaciones

In addition to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, the decree completed the list with the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, Osman Hussein Osman; the Ministry of Urban Development, Roads and Bridges, Abu Bakr Abu al-Qasim Abdullah; the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Abu Bakr Omar al-Bashi; the Ministry of Industry, Batul Abbas Allam Awad; the Ministry of Commerce and Supply, Amal Saleh Saad; the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Mohammed Abdullah Mahmoud; the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, Dhu al-Bayt Abdul Rahman Mansour; the Ministry of Communications and Digital Transformation, Adel Hassan Mohammed Hussein; the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation, Ahlam Madani Mahdi; the Ministry of Health, Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim; the Ministry of Labour and Administrative Reform, Suad Tayeb Hassan; the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Bdel Ati Ahmed Abbas; the Ministry of Culture and Information, Graham Abdel Kader; and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ayman Sayed Salim.  

PHTO/AFP  -  Manifestantes sudaneses salen a la calle en la capital, Jartum, el 25 de diciembre de 2021, para protestar contra el Ejército

Also, at the meeting held on Thursday, the Sovereign Transitional Council reached an agreement with the US delegation sent to the African country, for the resolution of the current crisis with the aim of finding the possibility of forming an independent government of national competence. The main objective is to complete the transition period, but the formation of an independent government of national competence, headed by a civilian prime minister, is essential. The Sudanese people are also counting on the help of Russia and the United Nations, which wants to carry out a transition process leading to elections scheduled for 2023.  

In addition to this new initiative to form an internal government by the lieutenant general, there have been social demonstrations against the coup d'état of 25 October, in which people are calling for a return to civilian government and the military to be ousted from power. This week, it is estimated that at least seven people were killed in the protests. 

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