After delay, Sudan national unity govt sworn in
Sept 22, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese new national unity government was sworn in on Thursday, a key step under the country’s peace deal that was delayed by two weeks of tough negotiations between the ruling party and former southern rebels over the posts.
The cabinet aims to incorporate Sudanese from the mostly Christian and animist south, who fought the Muslim Arab-led government in Khartoum for 21 years, and include them in power.
The move is part of a broad attempt under the January peace agreement to give the south a share in the nation’s resources – particularly oil – and a stake in the country, in part to dissuade them from voting to secede from the country in a referendum promised in six years.
“The national unity government’s responsibility is to make the country’s unity a choice that attracts the people,” al-Bashir said in a speech at the swearing-in ceremony, before the Cabinet held its first session.
He urged the ministers to “redouble efforts to meet the people’s aspirations and improve their living conditions.”
Twenty-eight members of the 30-member Cabinet were sworn in on Thursday – 15 of them from the ruling National Congress Party of President Omar al-Bashir, nine from the former southern rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. The other four were from opposition movements from north and south.
The ruling party kept hold of some of the most powerful ministries, including defense, the interior – which is in charge of the police – justice and the ministry of energy and mining.
The energy post was the subject of tough wrangling between the NCP and the SPLM, since it will be a key ministry as north and south work out how to share Sudan’s oil wealth.
The most notable position given to southerners was the Foreign Ministry, which went to Lam Akol, replacing Mustafa Osman Ismail of al-Bashir’s National Congress. Akol split from the SPLM in the 1990s to serve as transport minister under an al-Bashir government, then returned to the rebel movement in recent years.
Two ministries – science and education – were still not filled. They were given to one of the main opposition groups, the Sudanese National Democratic Alliance, which still must name who will take them.
(AP/ST)