More army and security men in Sudan’s reshuffled Cabinet

The proclaimed ‘new generation’ of ministers in Sudan is, on average, almost the same age as the politicians it replaced. The most important difference seems their backgound, stemming mainly from army and security positions, analysts conclude. Sudanese politicians, opposition parties, analysts, and journalists, have commented the reshuffle of the Sudanese Cabinet. On Sunday, writer and political analyst Dr Khalid El Tijani, as well as Professor of political science Dr El Tayeb Zein El Abdin, have described the formation of the new government as “disappointing”.In an interview with Radio Dabanga (broadcast by Radio Dabanga in Arabic today) both El Abdin and El Tijani state that this new change will neither improve the performance of the government, nor solve the Sudanese crisis.Game of Chess“The newly appointed Ministers belong to the old crew of losers who have not achieved anything since they came to power in 1989. Both Lt. Col. Bakri Hassan Saleh, the new First Vice President, and Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein, Minister of Defence, have been in power ever since,” said Dr El Abdin. “The reshuffle was just like a game of chess, where the pieces change from one place to another place without any changes in policy, approach or programme.”El Tijani, editor of the Sudanese weekly Elaph, also noted that the purpose of the reshuffle has been to adjust positions within the ruling National Congress Party rather than to address the national economical, security, political, and social crisis in the country. “There has been a change of faces and not in policies. The overall situation in Sudan will definitely worsen in the coming period.“More army, same generation The ‘new generation’ of Ministers in Sudan are, on average, almost the same age as the politicians they replace. The most important difference is their backgound stemming from army and security positions, analysts conclude. Vice president Ali Osman Taha (66) is replaced by Major General Bakri Hassan Saleh (64). After his dismissal, Taha said there was no dispute, but he just wanted to pave the way for a ‘new generation’, while president Bashir told a rally that he wanted to push ‘a group of youth to lead the country’.In fact Taha was replaced by someone who has served President Bashir as long as Taha himself. Bakri Hassan Saleh was part of the military junta that followed the military coup d’etat in 1989 and served as Minister of Defence, as Minister of Interior and finally as Minister for the Presidency.Nafie Alie Nafi, advisor to the president (65) was replaced by the dentist, Dr Ibrahim Ghandour, the Head of External Relations in the National Congress Party (61). Position army secured The Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Yasir Arman, responded stating the reshuffle reflects nothing but an old desire of president Bashir to replace Ali Osman Taha for Bakri Hassan Salih. He assumes that Bashir has taken complete control and strengthened the position of the army in the government. The independent observer of the Rift Valley Institute, Magdi El Gizouli, also suggests that president Bashir empowered the military against Islamists who may threaten his rule. Saleh’s appointment “assures the army that if anything happens to Bashir, this is the man to take over,” Gizouli adds.Hasabo Abdel-Rahman, who served as the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, defended the expulsion of 13 NGOs from Darfur after Bashir was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.   File photo: Dr El Tayeb Zein El Abdin  Related: Sudan government shake-up: Bakri Saleh first vice-president (8 December 2013)