Amid international welcome, Hamdok pledges to stop the war in Sudan and resolve its economic crisis

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's prime minister-designate, Abdullah Hamdouk, said on Sunday the priorities for the coming period in Sudan were to stop the war, build peace and resolve the economic crisis. This comes as the UN Security Council and Western countries welcomed the pledges made by Hamdok, and the agreement signed between the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change and the Transitional Military Council.

Hamdouk told a news conference after he was sworn in on Wednesday at the presidential palace that the coming period should focus on building a Sudanese economy based on production and not on aid and donations, pointing out that he became head of government for all the Sudanese after nominated by the forces of change for this position.

The arrival of Hamdouk on Wednesday to Khartoum airport received a large public in which citizens expressed their joy to become prime minister in the transition period of 39 months.

He called on the Sudanese Prime Minister-designate in a press statement at the airport to establish a pluralistic democratic system agreed upon by all the Sudanese, noting that since independence, Sudan has not witnessed the consensus of political elites on the management of their differences through a comprehensive national project, and called for the need to agree on a program on how to govern Sudan, not about who Governed by.

He said he would also focus on developing a moderate foreign policy that takes into account the country's top interests.

Economic crises
In the economic sphere, Hamdouk said that the goal of his government would be "to address the economic crisis so as not to depend on Sudan donations," stressing that the banking sector in Sudan is on the verge of collapse and must be restructured. He also pledged to draw up a plan to tackle inflation, availability of goods and care for productive sectors.

He added that Sudan is the sixth in size in Africa and should occupy its rightful place globally, stressing that his government will develop a plan to deal with emergency challenges.

He added that there are global economic experiences can be combined in adjusting the direction of his government, which is expected to announce the formation later. There were uncompromising issues, such as addressing poverty, free education and health.

council of state
Ten of the 11 members of the Sovereignty Council have been sworn in before the President of the Council Abdul Fattah Burhan and Chief Justice Abbas Ali Babiker, as part of the implementation of what has been agreed on the next political phase in the country.

Al-Burhan said after taking the oath that he would respect the constitutional document in preparation for achieving the objectives of the Sudanese revolution. After their first meeting, members of the Sovereignty Council also pledged to achieve peace and resolve the country's economic crises.

According to the terms of the political and constitutional agreement signed between the junta and the forces of change, al-Burhan holds the presidency of the Council of Sovereignty, which holds the powers of the President of the Republic for 18 months, and then a civilian member of the Council presidency for a similar period, and after the completion of the transitional period is organized elections.

The Sudanese hope that the agreement on the transitional period will end unrest since the army's leadership on April 11 removed Omar al-Bashir from the presidency, under the weight of popular protests calling for the overthrow of the existing regime, and condemned the deterioration of economic conditions.

International welcome
On the other hand, the Security Council welcomed the agreement signed between the forces of change and the military council to form a government headed by a civilian figure. It also welcomed the commitment of the Transitional Government to ensure the full implementation of the provisions of the Interim Agreement.

The United States, the United Kingdom and Norway issued a joint statement in which they looked forward to working with the new Sudanese institutions led by Hamdok, and pledging to support the transitional government in its investigation into violence against peaceful demonstrators.

The statement said the new Sudanese government was "an opportunity to rebuild a stable economy and respect human rights and personal freedoms."