SPA criticises appointment of three new Ministers of State in Sudan government

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) strongly criticised the decision to appoint three Ministers of State in the transitional government. The SPA calls it “a violation of the Constitutional Declaration”, the powersharing deal from August 2019 between the then ruling Transitional Military Council and the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC).

The SPA claims that there has been no consultation with the FFC, of which the SPA is an important member, concerning the appointment of the Ministers of State.

The three newly-appointed Ministers of State were sworn in at the Republican Palace on Sunday by the president of the Sovereign Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan.

Omar Gamareldin Ismail was sworn in as Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Steven Amin Arno as Minister of State at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and Hashim Mohamed Ibn Oaf as Minister of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, Chief Justice Nemat Abdallah Kheir, and Sovereign Council Secretary-General, Maj Gen Usama El Siddig Jadalla.

Governors

SPA spokesman Mohamed Naji El Asam announced at a press conference yesterday that the SPA and FFC had reached consensus on 15 out of 18 civilian governors. They had based themselves on nominations from the FFC in the states and on professional criteria.

El Asam stressed that appointing governors and forming legislative councils in the states do not affect the peace process.

He pointed out that the appointment of the civilian governors will be temporary and last until the peace agreement with the armed rebel movements will be completed. The SPA will launch a media campaign and put pressure on the government to urgently appoint the civilian governors.

Darfur

El Asam also announced that the movements of figures of the former regime, among them the former governor of Central Darfur Jaafar Abdel Hakam, will be followed.

He claimed that figures of the former regime aim to provoke strife in the Central Darfur Garsila area. He demanded that security forces move in urgently to control the situation. He also claimed there are close links between elements of the former regime and last month’s violence in Port Sudan and El Geneina (West Darfur). Three weeks ago, a FFC delegation to West Darfur concluded that that “the violence was fomented by the deep state”. 

El Asam pointed to the negative role that native administrations have played in these events. He called for government neutrality towards the native administrations, and a commitment to stay away from politicising the tribes.

El Asam, who headed a SPA delegation to West Darfur last week, warned of serious health conditions in the crowded Kerendin Camp for the displaced.

Union Act

El Asam announced that the SPA would propose a draft of a Union Act, saying that it would be submitted for circulation to all parties interested.

Representative of the Union Committee of the SPA Ammar Yousef called on the steering committees of the unions and the professional associations to complete their work and to continue their union work until elections for unions can be held.

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