New Sudanese Government Takes Constitutional Oath

Part of the new Sudanese cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony at the Republican Palace in Khartoum on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 (AFP)
Part of the new Sudanese cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony at the Republican Palace in Khartoum on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 (AFP)
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New Sudanese Government Takes Constitutional Oath

Part of the new Sudanese cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony at the Republican Palace in Khartoum on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 (AFP)
Part of the new Sudanese cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony at the Republican Palace in Khartoum on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 (AFP)

Sudan's newly-appointed ministers took the constitutional oath on Wednesday before Sovereign Council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, in the presence of the Chief Justice Nemat Abdullah.

Also, three leaders of the armed movements are expected to take the constitutional oath as members of the Transitional Sovereign Council.

Burhan reiterated that the path of change and revolution will continue to unfold because it is guarded by the Sudanese people’s will.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, he stressed that the new government will not disappoint the Sudanese people, who suffered enough in the past period.

Sudan is going through difficult circumstances, which require unity and cohesion to get rid of all the obstacles that hinder its progress.

“The previous government did its best but faced many dilemmas and obstacles,” he noted, stressing the importance of pledging to join hands to be able to complete the state apparatus and proceed in the democratic transition.

Hamdok, for his part, described the new government as representing a “broad political alliance capable of saving the country from collapse.”

This second cabinet was formed in light of a great revolution and very complex circumstances accompanied by economic and security challenges, he explained.

He affirmed that the coming days will witness consensus on an agenda that addresses the basic issues in the country.

Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khalid Omar said the new cabinet “reflects the unique diversity in the country’s history,” hoping to fulfill the peace process so that it is more representative of Sudan’s social and political bases.

In the cabinet’s first press conference, Omar confirmed that the new government agreed on a vision for the transitional program, which prioritizes economic reform.

He pointed out that the previous government had begun taking steps to address the structural economic crises, yet no results have been seen on the ground.

The new government, he added, will ensure addressing the economic issue and will work on security and military reform, provide safety for all citizens, achieve comprehensive transitional justice to hold criminals accountable, compensate victims and prepare the conditions to hold free and fair elections at the end of the transitional period.



Israel Wants to Set up Buffer Zone in Southern Lebanon Until Army Is Deployed

 Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)
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Israel Wants to Set up Buffer Zone in Southern Lebanon Until Army Is Deployed

 Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rise next to damaged buildings on an area of a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Kibbutz Manara, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP)

The Israeli army has been preventing the residents of southern Lebanon’s villages from returning to their homes, warning them against going back.

In a statement to the residents, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said they are barred from returning home “until further notice.”

He warned that anyone heading to the barred areas would be putting their lives in danger.

However, the majority of the villages and towns mentioned by the Israeli army are located north of the Litani River.

A security sources said the army’s warning “is confusing and unacceptable, especially since it is continuing its razing of agricultural lands in Khiam city and other villages near the border.”

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The only explanation for this is that Israel is trying to impose a buffer zone in the 60-day period offered by the ceasefire until the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers can continue their deployment along the southern border and the monitoring committee can begin its work.”

The Israeli actions are a violation of the ceasefire, which went into effect on Wednesday, added the source.

The violations demand immediate political effort sand contacts with US officials so that they can put a stop to them and speed up the formation of the five-member committee that will be chaired by an American officer, he stated.

Military and strategic expert General Nizar Abdel Qader said: “Israel’s gains on the ground and its success in imposing its conditions in the ceasefire agreement have led it to believe that it has the final say” in the South.

“True, it did not achieve a crushing victory against Hezbollah, but it proved its military superiority and achieved major gains,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.”

“It is preventing the residents of the South from returning home because it fears that Hezbollah members may be among them. It has learned lessons from its withdrawal from the South in 2000 when Hezbollah imposed its total and sole control of the border,” he remarked.

“It also learned its lesson from its withdrawal in 2006 when it let the Lebanese state oversee the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and soon after Hezbollah built a much more powerful military arsenal,” he noted.

Moreover, Abdel Qader said the Israeli violations cannot be separated from what is happening in Israel itself. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believed that it was too soon to declare a ceasefire and he instead said that Israel did not stop the war and can launch it all over again.

The violations in the South are part of political maneuvers that Netanyahu is using to hide his “embarrassment in front of the Israeli opposition and are attempts to calm the extremist ministers in his government,” he explained.

Residents of the South have acknowledged that Israel is in fact dictating their return to their homes. They said that Hezbollah was the one who called the shots in 2006, but this is not the case now.

Sami, a resident of Yohmor north of the Litani, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel has been relentlessly attacking his town.

It is dangerous for people to return to their homes, he warned, revealing that Israel has imposed a no-go zone 5 km deep into Lebanon.

Israel has so far not fulfilled its side of the ceasefire, he noted.