Prominent ex-rebel figure refuses position as Sudan junior minister

Abu El Gasim El Haj, leader of a former rebel faction of the Sudan Liberation Army, defended his decision to refuse to take the oath to serve as Minister of State in the national Ministry of Youth and Sports. He said that he had not been consulted about the appointment to the post. He emphasized that he is not part of President Omar Al Bashir’s National Congress Party.El Gasim was one of the six Darfuri ministers and junior ministers announced as part of the newly formed central government in mid June 2010. He is a former rebel commander who served as governor of West Darfur under the terms of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement. In an interview, Abu El Gasim warned that the peace agreement he signed with the government is still in effect, requiring a role for his movement. However, El Gasim lost the governorship in the April 2010 election, which he did not contest.