Sudanese Govt. Acknowledges Difficulties in Appointing State Governors

Civilians walk past graffiti reading in Arabic 'Freedom, Peace, Justice and Civilian' in the Burri district of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan, July 10, 2019. (Reuters)
Civilians walk past graffiti reading in Arabic 'Freedom, Peace, Justice and Civilian' in the Burri district of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan, July 10, 2019. (Reuters)
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Sudanese Govt. Acknowledges Difficulties in Appointing State Governors

Civilians walk past graffiti reading in Arabic 'Freedom, Peace, Justice and Civilian' in the Burri district of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan, July 10, 2019. (Reuters)
Civilians walk past graffiti reading in Arabic 'Freedom, Peace, Justice and Civilian' in the Burri district of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan, July 10, 2019. (Reuters)

Sudan’s government spokesperson, Minister of Culture and Information Faisal Mohamed Salih said that appointing state governors “might not satisfy some sides”.

Salih added that the process was challenging due to several major complications, adding that he can’t claim there was unanimity on all the candidates, but rather consensus.

Meanwhile, the National Umma Party (NUP), headed by Sadiq al-Mahdi, announced its withdrawal from participation. The party stressed that it refuses to take part in the local ruling structures based on the current standards set by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Dozens of citizens from Kassala and North Kordofan took to the streets to protest against the new appointments.

Moreover, NUP deputy chairman Siddiq Mohamed Ismail criticized the approach adopted in the appointment process.

“We had informed the PM of the need to agree on standards and approve the state rule law before the appointment of governors,” he said.

On Wednesday, Hamdok appointed civilian governors for 18 states.

Mariam al-Mahdi, deputy leader of the NUP, objected against assigning Ayman Khalid as the governor of Khartoum. She said that this state represents the capital and should not be subject to partisan quotas, explaining that the party prefers that all political parties agree on a qualified candidate.

She reiterated the NUP’s backing of the transitional government, stressing that there is an urgent need to establish the structure of the authority during the transitional period.

Appointing the governors took several months due to the differences between Hamdok and the Forces of Freedom and Change. A major obstacle was appointing governors of states that are dominated by tribes and different ethnic groups.

The government spokesman called for backing the appointments in order ensure the success of the transitional period and pave the way for holding free and transparent elections.



Türkiye Criticizes Some NATO Countries’ Support for Kurdish Units in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Türkiye Criticizes Some NATO Countries’ Support for Kurdish Units in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Türkiye criticized the support provided by some of its allies in NATO to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the largest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“The countries we have problems with... are America, England, and a little bit with France,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a televised interview on Monday.

He added: “The United States maintains its presence there, and we are putting this problem on the agenda at all levels... Türkiye is continuing the highest level of diplomacy possible” as “it can no longer live with such a reality.”

The foreign minister went on to say: “We carry more sensitivity in our fight against the PKK than you (the US and the UK) do in your fight against terrorism, just on the other side of our border. It is out of the question for us to engage in any negotiations here.”

On the other hand, Fidan considered that stopping the armed conflict between the Syrian army and the opposition is currently the main “achievement” of his country and Russia.

“The most important thing that we were able to achieve in Syria along with the Russians is that there is no war currently between the army and the opposition, and the Astana negotiations and others made that possible at the present time,” he stated.

He added that Damascus needs to “use this period of calm wisely, as an opportunity to return millions of Syrians who have fled abroad to rebuild their country and revive its economy.”

The minister revealed that he discussed this matter during his recent meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“We are studying this matter. The return of refugees is important,” Fidan said, adding: “We want the Syrian government to exploit this period of calm, rationally... as an opportunity to solve constitutional problems and achieve peace with the opposition. But we do not see that Damascus is benefiting from this sufficiently.”