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Sudan: Hamedti Says Ready for Negotiations with Burhan if Fighting Stops

File photo: Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, then deputy head of the military council, salutes during a rally, in Galawee, northern Sudan, June 15, 2019. (AP Photo, File)
File photo: Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, then deputy head of the military council, salutes during a rally, in Galawee, northern Sudan, June 15, 2019. (AP Photo, File)
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Sudan: Hamedti Says Ready for Negotiations with Burhan if Fighting Stops

File photo: Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, then deputy head of the military council, salutes during a rally, in Galawee, northern Sudan, June 15, 2019. (AP Photo, File)
File photo: Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, then deputy head of the military council, salutes during a rally, in Galawee, northern Sudan, June 15, 2019. (AP Photo, File)

Leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said on Saturday that he is ready for negotiations with army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on condition that fighting stops between the rival sides.

In remarks to BBC on Saturday, Dagalo, better known by his nickname Hamedti, said that to have negotiations with Burhan there are conditions. "Cease hostilities. After that we can have negotiations,” he said.

He added: "I am looking forward to having a civilian government today - before tomorrow, a fully civilian government. This is my principle.”

Two days ago, al-Burhan agreed in principle to meet Hamedti, but he told local media on Friday that he refuses to sit with Hamedti describing his forces as "rebellious."

Asked whether a truce could persist should the two generals reach one, Hamedti said: “We have called for a truce since day one of the war. We immediately opened humanitarian corridors inside the areas controlled by our forces. We started with a truce from our side.”

On Friday, fighting continued in Khartoum and in the Darfur region in western Sudan, despite the extension of the truce.

The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces has been going on since mid-April. It claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

Around 574 people have been killed since the fighting began, in addition to 74 others who died early this week.

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Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Syria's finance minister said on Sunday the government would hike salaries for many public sector employees by 400% next month after completing an administrative restructuring of ministries to boost efficiency and accountability.

The increase, estimated to cost 1.65 trillion Syrian pounds, or about $127 million at current rates, will be financed by existing state resources plus a combination of regional aid, new investments, and efforts to unfreeze Syrian assets held abroad.

"(This is) the first step towards an emergency solution to the economic reality in the country," Mohammed Abazeed, the finance minister in Syria's caretaker government, told Reuters, adding that this month's wages for public sector staff would be paid out this week.

These measures are part of a broader strategy by Syria's new caretaker government to stabilize the country's economy following 13 years of conflict and sanctions.

Salaries of Syria's public sector employees under toppled President Bashar al-Assad's regime were around $25 a month, putting them below the poverty line, along with the majority of the country's population, Abazeed said.

The hike would follow a comprehensive evaluation of up to 1.3 million registered public sector employees to remove fictitious employees from the payroll and would affect those with sufficient expertise, academic qualifications, and the necessary skills for reconstruction.

Syria's state treasury is facing liquidity challenges emerging from a war. The majority of money available in the central bank is Syrian currency, which has lost much of its value. However, the new government was promised assistance from regional and Arab countries, the minister said.

"The launch of investments in the country in the near future will also benefit the state treasury and allow us to finance this salary increase," he said, adding the central bank currently has sufficient funds to finance the next few months.

The government expects to retrieve up to $400 million in frozen Syrian assets abroad, which could co-finance the initial government expenses.

Syria's caretaker government is also discussing exempting taxpayers, as much as possible, from penalties and interest and working on overhauling the tax system within the next three months to achieve tax justice for all taxpayers, with a first draft expected within four months.

"By the end of this year, we expect having a well-designed tax system that takes the interests of all taxpayers into account," he added.