Rebel leader Minawi appointed governor of Darfur

On April 29, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok issued a decree appointing Minni Minawi, leader of a breakaway faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, as governor of the Darfur region.

Hamdok explained yesterday that the decision came in response to the requirements of the Juba Peace Agreement, signed in the South Sudanese capital on October 3 last year, and in accordance with the provisions of the 2019 Constitutional Document. He said that he directed the relevant ministries and authorities to implement the decision.

Minawi reacted by saying that he considers the decision a serious step towards the implementation of the peace agreement. He thanked all those who made efforts to implement the agreement, in particular the members of the Sovereignty Council and the Prime Minister, and said he was looking forward to successful joint cooperation.

The transitional government recommended the appointment of a governor for the Darfur region before the planned national conference on governance would take place.

The Sudan News Agency reported that the Government of North Darfur welcomed the decision. It would push ahead the implementation of “the agenda of peace and democratic transition,” Mohamed Arabi, the state governor said.

On April 22, Mohamed El Taayshi, member of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council and chair of the High Committee preparing the General Conference on the System of Governance in Sudan, reported an agreement on a governor for Darfur.

During the peace talks in Juba, the Sudanese government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) alliance of rebel movements agreed with to return to a regional system of governance. After the SLM-MM split off from the SRF rebel alliance in May 2020, and continued, headed by Minawi under the same name, it was decided at the time to round-up the peace negotiations with both factions simultaneously.