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.



Fidan, Barrack Discuss Merging of SDF in Syrian Army, Erdogan Warns of Israeli Violations

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack meet on Tuesday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack meet on Tuesday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Fidan, Barrack Discuss Merging of SDF in Syrian Army, Erdogan Warns of Israeli Violations

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack meet on Tuesday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack meet on Tuesday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack held talks on Tuesday on the latest developments in Syria a year after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

They discussed the measures needed to establish stability in Syria and maintain its territorial integrity.

Turkish sources said the meeting focus primarily on the implementation of the agreement between Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader Abdi Mazloum on the merger of the Kurdish forces in the Syrian army.

The agreement was signed in Damascus in March and should have been completed by December.

Fidan and Barrack also tackled the Israeli violations and attacks against Syria and their “negative impact on its stability and unity.” They discussed sanctions on Syria and the support for political steps during the country’s transition, added the sources.

Fidan had on Saturday accused Israel of “encouraging” the SDF to renege on the March agreement.

In a televised interview, he warned that the developments in southern Syria were the “greatest danger.” He explained that the problem isn’t in the extent of the developments, but in how Israel has intervened in them.

The danger in Syria could impact Türkiye, he added.

He stressed the need for the SDF to fulfill its commitments to the March agreement and to dissolve itself and for its foreign fighters to leave Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned on Tuesday the Israeli violations in Syria, saying they were the “greatest obstacle” to the country’s security and stability at the time and for the long-term.

Speaking before ambassadors to Türkiye, he vowed that Ankara will continue to support Damascus “as it has always done”.

He echoed Fidan’s demand on the SDF to commit to the March agreement, saying any delay will lead to a new crisis in Syria.

He also slammed the international silence over the “massacres that were committed in Syria” during its 13 years of civil war.

Throughout those years, “except for a few with a real conscience, we didn’t hear anything from the supporters of democracy and defenders of human rights,” he added.


Sudanese Powers Sign Declaration of Principles to End the War 

The gatherers in Nairobi held the warring parties and their allies fully responsible for any violations and war crimes. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The gatherers in Nairobi held the warring parties and their allies fully responsible for any violations and war crimes. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Sudanese Powers Sign Declaration of Principles to End the War 

The gatherers in Nairobi held the warring parties and their allies fully responsible for any violations and war crimes. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The gatherers in Nairobi held the warring parties and their allies fully responsible for any violations and war crimes. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The political and civilian parties of Sudan’s Somoud alliance signed in Nairobi on Tuesday a joint declaration of principles with the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur, and the Arab Socialist Baath Party to end the war in Sudan and completely eliminate the Islamic movement from politics.

The declaration is the first act of rapprochement between Sudanese parties that are opposed to the ongoing war between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Former Prime Minister and Somoud leader Abdalla Hamdok was among the signatories.

The declaration said that “there can be no military solution to the crisis”, urging the immediate end to the war.

It called for greater pressure to be applied on the military and RSF to end the conflict and commit to the roadmap drafted by the international Quad that includes Saudi Arabia, the US, United Arab Emirates and Egypt in August.

The declaration called for the swift implementation of a proposed three-month humanitarian truce and for an unconditional ceasefire.

Sudan Liberation Movement/Army deputy leader Abdullah Harran said the signatories of the declaration agreed on the need to expand it further and to bring in more parties to sign it, excluding the ousted National Congress.

Harran told a press conference that the declaration aims to establish a wide popular civilian base that will embark on a transitional phase, leading up to holding free and transparent elections.

The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army holds some regions in central Darfur and has extended its influence in northern parts of the province. It has received tens of thousands of refugees from el-Fasher in areas under its control.

Leading member of the Arab Socialist Baath Party Wajdi Saleh said the gatherers in Nairobi agreed on a “unified vision” to end the war.

They signed three documents, he revealed. The first is the declaration of principles to build a new nation, the second is a roadmap to stop the war and the third aims to designate the National Congress and Islamic movement as terrorist.

Moreover, he declared that the warring parties would be barred from taking part in the democratic transition.

The gatherers held the warring parties and their allies fully responsible for any violations and war crimes, calling on regional and international powers, led by the Quad, to intervene decisively to implement a humanitarian truce.


Israeli Settler Kills 16-Year-Old Palestinian in West Bank, Mayor Says

Friends and family gather around the body of Ammar Yasser Sabbah, 16, ahead of his funeral at a morgue in Bethlehem on December 16, 2025, after he was killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tuqu’, east of Bethlehem during a military raid the day before. (AFP)
Friends and family gather around the body of Ammar Yasser Sabbah, 16, ahead of his funeral at a morgue in Bethlehem on December 16, 2025, after he was killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tuqu’, east of Bethlehem during a military raid the day before. (AFP)
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Israeli Settler Kills 16-Year-Old Palestinian in West Bank, Mayor Says

Friends and family gather around the body of Ammar Yasser Sabbah, 16, ahead of his funeral at a morgue in Bethlehem on December 16, 2025, after he was killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tuqu’, east of Bethlehem during a military raid the day before. (AFP)
Friends and family gather around the body of Ammar Yasser Sabbah, 16, ahead of his funeral at a morgue in Bethlehem on December 16, 2025, after he was killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tuqu’, east of Bethlehem during a military raid the day before. (AFP)

An Israeli settler shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian in Tuqu' on Tuesday after the funeral of another teenager, the town's mayor said.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank have increased sharply, with the UN reporting the highest number of attacks on record in October.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Muheeb Jibril's death on Tuesday.

"Today, after the funeral of 16-year-old Ammar Sabah, who was killed yesterday by the Israeli army in the town center, a number of youths were gathered by the main street when a settler shot 16-year-old Muheeb Jibril in the head," Tuqu' Mayor Mohammed al-Badan told Reuters by telephone.

Israeli forces killed Sabah on Monday during a military raid on the town, the Palestinian health ministry said. The military said the incident was under review. It said rocks were thrown at soldiers who used riot dispersal means and later responded with fire.

The West Bank is home to 2.7 million Palestinians who have limited self-rule under Israeli military occupation. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have settled there.

Most world powers deem Israel's settlements, on land it captured in a 1967 war, illegal, and numerous UN Security Council resolutions have called on Israel to halt all settlement activity.

Israel denies the illegality of the settlements, citing biblical and historical connections to the land.