Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced a new cabinet bringing in seven ex-rebel chiefs as ministers, following a peace deal in October aimed to end decades of war.
The post of finance minister was given to Jibril Ibrahim, leader of the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which has been involved in the conflict in Darfur.
“We have reached consensus on over 25 ministries,” Hamdok said, during a press conference in Khartoum.
“This lineup aims to preserve this country from collapse… we know there will be challenges but we are certain that we will move forward.”
The reshuffle followed months of pressure and criticism of Hamduk for not initiating reforms quickly enough to alleviate the country’s severe political and economic crisis.
It is also part of a peace deal the government signed in October with several rebel groups in Juba, the capital of neighbouring South Sudan.
They had been hostile to each other for years in the Darfur region in the country’s west, as well as in the south.
Sudan is on a fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising led the military to overthrow longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. A transitional military-civilian government is now in power, trying to end decades-long rebellions in various parts of the country.
Reaching a negotiated settlement with rebels in Sudan’s far-flung provinces was a crucial goal for the transitional government. The deal reached last year was hailed as a step toward reviving Sudan’s battered economy and rejoining the international community after years of isolation.
But the government failed to reach similar peace pacts with two other key armed factions, including Sudan’s largest single rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-North led by Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu, and the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army, which is led by Abdel-Wahid Nour.
The transitional government faces steep challenges in transforming Sudan’s economic system amid a huge budget deficit and widespread shortages of essential goods. Prices for fuel, bread and medicine have soared in recent weeks, triggering protests across the country.
