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Sudan PM Asks FDFC to Name Candidates for Government

Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans in front of security forces during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)
Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans in front of security forces during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)
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Sudan PM Asks FDFC to Name Candidates for Government

Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans in front of security forces during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)
Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans in front of security forces during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)

Sudan's new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok asked the Forces of Declaration of Freedom and Change (FDFC) to speed up the nomination of their candidates for the government.

The FDFC is expected to hand its list of candidates to Hamdok Tuesday, who will select one of three for each ministry, and announce the government on Wednesday in accordance with the timetable agreed upon in the constitutional document.

A meeting held at the Umma Party headquarters in Omdurman will continue until all parties have reached consensus on the candidates for 14 ministries and four specialized councils.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the PM pressured the FDFC to complete its nomination, asserting that he will respect the set deadline.

A top commander in the Forces, who asked not to be named, said the FDFC selected five candidates for the cabinet.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that FDFC are committed to delivering the names of their candidates to the prime minister on time, ahead of the official announcement of the government.

Asharq Al-Awsat obtained the names of candidates for all the ministries in the transitional government with candidates of the Foreign Ministry including: Omar Mohammed Kamareddine, Omar Bashir Munis and Mohammed Ahmed Siddiq.

The most prominent candidates for the Ministry of Finance are: Ibrahim al-Badawi, Hassan Bashir and Mohammed Sheikhoun. As for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Bakri Ali Ahmed, Kawther Ismail Mahmoud, Kamaluddin Tayeb and Issa Shater were nominated.

Four candidates are competing for the Ministry of Energy and Mining: Saleh Mirghani, Fadl Ahmed Abu Shouk, Awad Jar al-Khair, Adel Ibrahim and Abdel Haj Suleiman.

Candidates for the Ministry of Justice are: member of the Legal Committee of the FDFC Ibtisam al-Sanhouri, Othman Mohammed al-Hasan, Nasereddine Abd al-Bari and Hanoud Abia Kedouf.

Among the most prominent candidates for government affairs: Madani Abbas Madani, Yasser Mirghani Abdel Rahman, Abu Bakr Basha and Ismail Wadi.

Several candidates were named for the Ministry of Education, including: Mohamed el-Amin el-Tom, Mohamed Ibrahim, Taher Abdullah Kamar and Amna al-Sadiq Badri.

Ministry of Health nominees include Akram el-Tom, El-Tayeb Gadin, Samia Abdel Azim and Abdel Rahim Mohamed Ali.

FDFC also chose a list of candidates for the Higher Education Council, most notably philosophy professor at the Sudanese universities, Hisham Omar al-Nur, Ahmed Hassan al-Jack, Sami Sharif and Suleiman Dablo.

Four candidates are nominated for the position of Minister of Animal Resources, namely Amal Omar Bakheet, Shadia al-Llazem, Hanan Abdel Mawla and Mohammed Fadl Ahmed.

The FDFC named Mohammed Jafar Quraish, Majid Talaat Farid, Mahjoub Said and Walaa Issam al-Boushi for the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

A large number of candidates of political parties withdrew their candidacies after officials pressured them to adhere to the agreement to form an independent government of non-partisan figures, confirmed sources.

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Arab World

Series of Israeli Strikes Hit Lebanon

A convoy of Lebanese army vehicles drives near the border with Israel in the village of Alma al-Shaab during a Lebanese army media tour in south Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A convoy of Lebanese army vehicles drives near the border with Israel in the village of Alma al-Shaab during a Lebanese army media tour in south Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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Series of Israeli Strikes Hit Lebanon

A convoy of Lebanese army vehicles drives near the border with Israel in the village of Alma al-Shaab during a Lebanese army media tour in south Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A convoy of Lebanese army vehicles drives near the border with Israel in the village of Alma al-Shaab during a Lebanese army media tour in south Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A series of Israeli strikes hit south and east Lebanon on Friday, state media reported, as Israel's army said it was targeting Hezbollah sites, the latest such raids despite a year-old ceasefire.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes in around a dozen locations, including up to around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, citing at times "heavy raids".

Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and has also kept troops in five areas it deems strategic, reported AFP.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces "struck a training and qualification compound" used by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force where operatives "underwent shooting exercises and additional training on the use of various types of weapons".

The army also "struck additional Hezbollah military infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon", it said.

According to the ceasefire, Hezbollah was required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers from the border with Israel, and have its military infrastructure there dismantled.

Under a government-approved plan, Lebanon's army is to dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure south of the Litani by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country.

The sites struck on Friday were generally north of the river.

Earlier this week, Israel launched a series of strikes on southern Lebanon, also saying it hit a Hezbollah training center and other targets.

Arab World

Lavrov Offers Russian Mediation on Political Settlement in Sudan

An orphaned Sudanese child eats at a refugee camp in eastern Chad, November 22, 2025 (Reuters).
An orphaned Sudanese child eats at a refugee camp in eastern Chad, November 22, 2025 (Reuters).
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Lavrov Offers Russian Mediation on Political Settlement in Sudan

An orphaned Sudanese child eats at a refugee camp in eastern Chad, November 22, 2025 (Reuters).
An orphaned Sudanese child eats at a refugee camp in eastern Chad, November 22, 2025 (Reuters).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has renewed Moscow’s offer to mediate efforts aimed at launching a political process to end the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Lavrov said Russia is prepared, with the consent of the Sudanese government, to “facilitate the search for practical solutions,” calling on all parties to refrain from public condemnations and instead focus on advancing political dialogue.

He made the remarks during a meeting with a group of ambassadors convened to outline Russia’s positions on efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine, while also addressing a number of regional crises, including the situation in Sudan.

Lavrov stressed that Moscow is “ready to continue assisting in identifying practical steps to resolve Sudan’s internal crisis.”

Responding to a question on Sudan, he said Russia has consistently urged dialogue and negotiations between the warring parties, noting that several proposals had previously been put forward by countries seeking to help end the conflict.

Addressing the Sudanese representative attending the meeting, Lavrov said proposals had been presented to the Sudanese government to engage in dialogue with what it described as external actors. “Unfortunately, this effort did not succeed, as no genuine dialogue took place,” he said.

Despite this, Lavrov said specific proposals had been conveyed, adding that the priority now should be to move away from continued public blame and toward practical solutions.

“Russia is ready to facilitate this search for solutions and has the necessary capabilities,” he said, adding: “If your government agrees, we will seek to make use of this opportunity.”

Lavrov also urged Sudanese authorities to call on the Ukrainian government to halt the deployment of mercenaries to African countries. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly exchanged accusations over sending mercenaries to parts of Africa, while Western sources have alleged that Russia has provided weapons and expertise to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Russia has reiterated its offer of mediation on several occasions this year. In February, during talks with his Sudanese counterpart, Lavrov said Moscow was ready to cooperate with other external actors to help normalize the situation in Sudan, stressing that the resumption of bilateral cooperation depends entirely on security conditions.

The issue was also discussed on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in mid-April, where Russia’s Foreign Ministry said both sides underscored the need for an immediate halt to the fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF, and called for an inclusive national dialogue aimed at achieving lasting peace.

Separately, Russia’s embassy in Sudan said no Russian nationals were among the crew of a military Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft that crashed earlier this week near Port Sudan, killing all those on board.

Arab World

UN Appeals for $2.5 Billion to Confront Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen

Displaced children gather in a camp in Sanaa. EPA
Displaced children gather in a camp in Sanaa. EPA
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UN Appeals for $2.5 Billion to Confront Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen

Displaced children gather in a camp in Sanaa. EPA
Displaced children gather in a camp in Sanaa. EPA

The United Nations has warned of an unprecedented rise in humanitarian needs in Yemen during the coming year, saying the country is heading towards one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world unless urgent funding for a response plan is provided.

Latest data showed that in 2026, 23.1 million people, nearly 65.4 percent of the population, will need lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection services to meet their basic needs and safeguard their well-being.

So, the UN launched an urgent appeal to fund the 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, requesting the international community to raise $2.5 billion to confront the humanitarian crisis that is escalating in complexity and severity.

The plan aims to provide support to more than 10.5 million people in desperate need, with a special focus on life-saving interventions and combating hunger and malnutrition in the most deprived areas.

Yet the plan did not clarify how programs will be implemented in areas under Houthi control, which are witnessing increasing restrictions after the group closed offices belonging to the United Nations and international organizations since last September, and arrested dozens of their staff, including 59 UN employees.

The UN said that a convergence of conflict, economic decline, and climate shocks, compounded by shrinking operational space in parts of the country and funding shortfalls, continues to exacerbate humanitarian needs.

Already, 18.1 million people face acute food insecurity, while 2.5 million children under five risk acute malnutrition, and 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Amid the massive collapse of basic systems, 8.41 million people lack access to healthcare, while 15 million suffer from water insecurity. With 17.4 million lacking adequate sanitation and hygiene, preventable waterborne diseases will surge, the UN warned.

Protection risks are escalating as resilience collapses, it said. Over 16 million people require protection assistance, of which 4.7 million are internally displaced.

Meanwhile, 6.2 million people need GBV services as women and girls, especially among displaced and marginalized communities, face escalating risks of gender-based violence.

About 2.6 million children remain out of class, while teachers continue to work without pay, while floods, weather events and droughts affected 1.5 million people in 2025.

The UN on Tuesday condemned a referral by the Houthis of some of the dozens of UN staff they have detained to a special criminal court.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Houthis have arbitrarily detained 59 Yemeni UN personnel, who have been held “incommunicado - some for years - without any due process, in violation of international law,” according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

“We call on the de facto authorities to rescind the referral and work in good faith toward the immediate release of all detained personnel,” Dujarric said.

“The United Nations remains committed to supporting the people of Yemen and delivering principled humanitarian assistance,” he added.