Sudan's new PM to prioritize peace and economic alleviation

Sudan’s new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was sworn in on Wednesday (August 21) as leader of a transitional government, and vowed to make achieving peace and solving the country’s economic crisis a priority.

The appointment of the renowned economist came as General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the outgoing head of the military council, was sworn in as leader of the new Sovereign Council that will run the country for three years until an election.

“The revolution’s deep-rooted slogan, ‘freedom, peace and justice’ will form the program of the transitional period,” Hamdok told reporters at a news conference in the capital Khartoum.

“I was largely nominated by the Forces of Freedom and Change. After being sworn in today, I believe I am the Prime Minister for the whole of Sudan. Through this understanding, let us find common ground together.

“I believe that both the Revolutionary Front and National Representatives have the potential to (inaudible). I know, perhaps, the Revolutionary Front quite personally. I know their leaders, and even those who do not belong to the Front.

“I know the fighter Abdel Aziz and many others. I believe that there is a fertile environment, if we manage it correctly, for us to cross with the country to the shores of safety.”

Burhan and other military officers overthrew veteran leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir in April in response to months of protests over economic hardships and dictatorship.

The composition of the 11-member Sovereign Council that will run the country for the transition period, superseding the military council which has been disbanded, was completed on Tuesday (August 20), consisting of six civilian and five military figures.

Nine members of the council were sworn in about two hours after Burhan took the oath on Wednesday. The final member, Mohamed al-Hassan al-Taishi, will be sworn in at a later, unspecified date, state news agency SUNA said.

The United States, Britain and Norway welcomed Hamdok’s appointment, calling it a historic moment for Sudan and urged the military to “engage constructively” with the new government.

REUTERS