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Sudan swears in new prime minister, sovereign council chief

Thursday, 22 August 2019 4:03 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 22 August 2019 4:03 AM ]

Sudan's new Prime Minister in the transitional government Abdalla Hamdok addresses a news conference in Khartoum, Sudan, on August 21, 2019. (Photo by Reuters)

Sudan's new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was sworn in on Wednesday (August 21) as leader of a transitional government, and vowed to make achieving peace and solving the country's economic crisis a priority.

The appointment of the renowned economist came as General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the outgoing head of the military council, was sworn in as leader of the new Sovereign Council, which will run the country for three years until an election after decades of autocratic rule.

"The revolution's deep-rooted slogan, 'freedom, peace and justice,' will form the program of the transitional period," Hamdok told reporters at a news conference in the capital, Khartoum.

Burhan and other military officers overthrew veteran leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir in April in response to months of protests over economic hardships and dictatorship.

The composition of the 11-member council that will run the country for the transition period, superseding the military council that has been disbanded, was completed on Tuesday (August 20), consisting of six civilian and five military figures.

Nine members of the council were sworn in about two hours after Burhan took the oath on Wednesday. The final member, Mohamed al-Hassan al-Taishi, will be sworn in at a later, unspecified date, state news agency SUNA said.

The United States, Britain, and Norway welcomed Hamdok's appointment, calling it a historic moment for Sudan and urged the military to "engage constructively" with the new government.

(Source: Reuters)

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