January 6, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) factions have agreed to grant the latter 7 ministries, amid expectations that a new government would be announced next week.

In accordance with the Juba Peace Agreement, the SRF factions will get 25% of the cabinet portfolios, which equates to 7 ministries out of a total of 26.

"The FFC and SRF reached an agreement on the sharing of ministerial portfolios, in a meeting held with the participation of the National Umma Party," an FFC official told the Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

According to the deal, the SRF was granted the ministries of Finance, Federal Government, Urban Development, Social Development, Education, Livestock and Mining.

The former rebel groups expressed keenness to get ministries related to the peace implementation process.

The FFC and the Umma party has not yet allocated ministries for its components as the coalition preferred to deal first with the divided SRF groups before to distribute the other positions among them in the coming days.

The FFC is expected to finalize the nominations of the new cabinet in the coming days, and then hand over the nominees to the Prime Minister.

Under the agreement, the FFC will nominate 17 ministers, 7 ministers by the SRF factions, and the military component will nominate the Interior and Defence ministers.

the Deputy Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North Yasir Arman, dismissed rumours about his participation in the new cabinet, saying "such reports were inaccurate".

"Some of those in charge of the matter consulted me about the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Information but I apologized just as I did in 2005 for 5 ministries," he said in a post on Twitter.

He further pledged to dedicate his efforts to spread "the vision of the New Sudan and working with all forces of revolution and change for a new order, productive partnership and glory to Sudan."

(ST)