KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdouk announced on Thursday the formation of the first government in Sudan since the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in April, marking a key stage in the transition process that is supposed to lead to civilian rule.
"Now I am announcing the formation of the government ... Today we are starting a new phase in our history," Hamdouk told a press conference from Khartoum, stressing that "the most important priorities of the interim period are stopping war and building peace."
Hamdouk announced the names of 18 ministers, representing the main strength of the first government after the overthrow of the Bashir regime.
Hamdouk said at the press conference that the delay in the announcement of the government line-up was caused by keenness to represent all strata of Sudanese society in carrying the ministerial portfolios.
In the long-awaited government line-up, Hamdouk announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Jamal Omar as Minister of Defense, Lt. Gen. Al-Tarifi Idris for Interior, Asmaa Mohammed Abdullah for Foreign Affairs, Intisar Al-Zein Saghir for Higher Education, Nasreddin Abdul Bari for Justice, Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Badawi for Finance, and Akram Ali Al-Tom for Health. And Mohamed El Amin El Tom for Education.
Hamdouk also appointed Adel Ibrahim for Energy and Mining, Yasser Abbas Mohammed Ali for Irrigation and Water Resources, Issa Othman Sharif for Agriculture, Lina Sheikh Mahjoub for Labor and Social Development, and Youssef Adam Al Dhay for federal rule.
The government of Hamdok included Omar Bashir Manis for the Cabinet, Nasreddin Mufreh for Religious Affairs and Endowments, Wala'a Essam Al Boushi for Youth and Sports, Madani Abbas Madani for Industry and Commerce, and Faisal Mohammed Saleh for Culture and Information.
Hamdouk said consultations are continuing on candidates for two portfolios in the new cabinet, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
The government will operate under a three-year power-sharing agreement signed last month between the military and civilians.
"We started preparing for peace by forming a mini committee in consultation with the sovereign council and members of the ministerial council whose task is to establish a general framework for the form of the peace commission, which is the first priority of the transitional period," the prime minister said.
He added: «We aspire to build a national economy based on production, as well as building state institutions».
"We are committed to a foreign policy that takes the interest of Sudan first and foremost and is based on good neighborliness and working with friends, brothers and partners to build a world of democracy and human rights," Hamdouk said.