Sudan's Hamdok unveils new Cabinet

By Behram Abdelmunim and Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - Sudan's Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok on Thursday announced there will be a new 20-member Cabinet for the transitional period.

"We have taken a long time in consultations for the formation of the Cabinet as we need to address the geographical, gender and youth representation," Hamdok told reporters .

He announced the names of 18 Cabinet ministers and said that there was a need to discuss the appointment of the ministers of the livestock, and the infrastructure and transportation.

The prime minister said the three-year transitional government will prioritize the agenda of peace making and economic development.

The main ministers are Gamal Omer for the Defense Ministry, Altraifi Idriss for the Ministry of Interior, Asma Abdullah for the Foreign Ministry, Ibrahim Albadawi for the Ministry of Finance and Omer Manis for the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs.

Hamdok, who is an international economy expert, is the first civilian prime minister of Sudan since 1989, when ousted president Omer Al-Bashir toppled the elected premier Sadiq al-Mahdi.

The Sovereign Council was formed under a power-sharing deal between Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) and opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition.

Ousted President Omar al-Bashir was removed from power by the military in April after months of protests against his 30-year rule.