Sudan’s new premier on Thursday announced his picks for the first cabinet since the ouster of veteran ruler Omar Al-Bashir.
The new cabinet is part of a power-sharing deal between the military and protest leaders.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who took the oath two weeks ago, named his picks from lists put forward by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) — an umbrella group of political and armed factions that led protests against Bashir’s 30-year rule.
Hamdok announced at a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, the names of 18 cabinet ministers and said he would name two more later as deliberations are still underway.
The appointed ministers are:
1 .Minister of Cabinet Affairs – Omar Bashir Manis
2. Minister of Defence – Gamal-Eddin Omar
3. Minister of Interior – Al-Traifi Idris
4. Minister of Justice – Nasr-Eddin Abdel-Bari
5. Minister of Foreign Affairs – Asmaa Mohammed Abdallah
6. Minister of Finance – Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Badawi
7. Minister of Health – Akram Ali Al-Tom
8. Minister of Education – Mohammed Al-Amin Al-Tom
9. Minister of Industry and Trade – Madeni Abbas Madeni
10. Minister of Labour – Lina Sheikh Mahjoub
11. Minister of Higher Education – Intisar Soghayroun
12. Minister of Information and Culture – Faisal Mohammed Saleh
13. Minister of Federal Governance – Yusuf Adam Al-Dai
14. Minister of Agriculture – Issa Osman Sherif
15. Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources – Yasser Abbas Mohammed
16. Minister of Youth and Sports– Walaa Al-Bushi
17. Minister of Religious Affairs – Nasr-Eddin Mufarah
18. Minister of Energy and Mining – Adil Ali Ibrahim
The first Sudanese government since the overthrow of long-term leader Omar al-Bashir in April includes at least four women, including Asmaa Abdalla as the first woman to serve as foreign minister in Sudanese history.
Hamdok said his decision to include women in his cabinet was "logical", since the women were on the frontline of demonstrations.
The new cabinet will operate alongside a separate Sovereign Council, a body consisting of six civilians and five army generals. The cabinet will run the country for over three years until elections.