Sudan’s PM chooses 14 members of first cabinet

KHARTOUM: Sudan’s prime minister has approved 14 civilian members of his cabinet, the first to be appointed since the overthrow of long-time leader Omar al Bashir in April, a source said on Tuesday. The nominations include Sudan’s first female foreign minister, and a former World Bank economist as finance minister who will face an economic crisis that triggered months of protests against Bashir and has deepened in recent months. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok approved them along with 12 other new ministers, a member of the main civilian group in the ruling Sovereign Council said.

Asmaa Abdallah had been chosen as foreign minister, according to the member of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) grouping, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Ibrahim Elbadawi, a former World Bank economist who had been managing director of the Cairo-based think tank Economic Research Forum since 2017, would serve as finance minister and Adel Ibrahim was tapped to lead the Energy and Mining Ministry, the source added. “Sudan’s economic challenge is a big challenge, but we can tackle it,” Hamdok said. “In the near-term, we need to address the shortage of commodity items.” — Reuters