Disputes over Security Portfolios Impede Formation of Iraq Govt

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with deputy parliament Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi. (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with deputy parliament Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi. (AFP)
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Disputes over Security Portfolios Impede Formation of Iraq Govt

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with deputy parliament Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi. (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with deputy parliament Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi. (AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is facing difficulties in forming a new government due to the insistence of Shiite factions on obtaining the main security portfolios in the country, revealed sources concerned with the formation process.

The sources said that meanwhile, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was holding side talks aimed at restructuring the military leaderships that would take place after the formation of a new cabinet.

The pro-Iran Shiite Coordination Framework said on Saturday that it had held talks with Sudani over the formation of a strong government.

The hurdles Sudani is facing from Shiite parties have raised fears that he will fail in forming a government.

He issued a statement on Sunday to underscore that a committee of advisors is holding meetings with potential ministerial candidates from various political blocs.

The name of the candidates will be revealed after the committee completes its work.

A source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Shiite factions had even offered to Sudani relinquishing their shares in the government in return for assuming control over security agencies.

The possibility has raised some concerns among some factions of the Framework.

Maliki, meanwhile, wants the formation of a strong government that would win over the masses and prevent the eruption of new anti-government protests, similar to what happened in October 2019, revealed a source close to the Dawa party.

The former PM is holding side negotiations to form a government, focusing on the restructuring of top senior posts with the ultimate aim of changing military leaderships and replacing them with figures who are loyal to him.

His moves have sparked tensions among his allies in the Framework, which is also concerned that Sudani may also be allied to him.

The ties between Maliki and Sudani have come under close scrutiny. Sudani is believed to be opposed to Maliki’s goal for reclaiming his position in power, but seems incapable of stopping his drive forward.



Sudan Army Says Khartoum State ‘Completely Free’ of RSF

Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Army Says Khartoum State ‘Completely Free’ of RSF

Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)

Sudan’s military on Tuesday said it took full control of the Greater Khartoum region after a long-running battle against remnants of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the region’s west and south. 

The development was the latest victory for the military in its more than two years of fighting against the RSF, a civil war that has pushed parts of the country into famine. 

Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sudanese military, said forces retook the Greater Khartoum region, which include the capital city of Khartoum and its sister cities of Omdurman and Khartoum North, or Bahri. 

“Khartoum state is completely free of rebels,” he declared in a video statement, referring to the RSF. 

Earlier, Abdullah said troops battled RSF fighters in the western and southern areas of Omdurman as part of a large-scale operation to kick the paramilitaries out of their pockets there. 

There was no immediate comment from the RSF. 

Sudan plunged into civil war on April 15, 2023, when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare in Khartoum and other parts of the country. The war has killed at least 24,000 people, though the number is likely far higher. 

The war has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including 4 million who crossed into neighboring countries. Parts of Sudan have been pushed into famine. 

The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the UN and international rights groups.