Sudan Approaches to Resolve Political Crisis

KHARTOUM: With the announcement made by Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on a partial reshuffle of the government, the two peace partners in Sudan are approaching to resolve a political crisis between them, local analyst said on Wednesday.

According to a news bulletin issued by the official SUNA news agency, President al-Bashir has reshuffled the government by appointing two presidential advisers, six ministers and six ministers of state.

All the 14 persons belong to the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), which announced last Thursday a freeze of its partnership with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) led by al-Bashir.

Foreign Minister Lam Akol and Minister for Cabinet Affairs Ding Alur exchanged their positions in the government; Mansour Khalid replaced George Boreng as Minister of Foreign Trade and the latter became Minister of Higher Education; Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs Kosta Manibi became the Minister of Investment while James Kol came to take his place.

The reshuffle was the first of a series of demands presented by the SPLM to the Sudanese president to bring back cooperation between the NCP and the SPLM.

On Tuesday, Sudanese president held his first meeting with a delegation of the SPLM led by Vice President of the South Sudan Government Riek Machar who delivered to the president a memorandum from Sudanese First Vice President and Chairman of the SPLM Salva Kiir Mayardit.

"The memorandum deals with arrangements for implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and special proposals for changing some ministerial portfolios," the official SUNA news agency disclosed following the meeting.

Local media reported that al-Bashir issued the presidential decree following a meeting last night with senior members of the NCP.

"The fact that the decree was issued so quickly indicates that the NCP of al-Bashir wants to resolve the current political crisis as soon as possible," said Mustafa Abu al-Azayim, chief editor of Sudanese Akhirlahza daily.

He said that if the president had not approved the reshuffle, which was proposed by the SPLM delegation, shortly after the meeting, the former rebel movement could have put forward another list due to a struggle between the two main rival currents inside the movement.

Lam Akol, the former foreign minister whom a radical SPLM current had criticized of following too closely the line of the NCP and asked his removal from the government, was promoted to the second position in the cabinet only after the minister of presidency of the republic.

"Ding Alur coming to the position of the foreign minister does mean a change of the foreign policy, which is under the president's control," Abu al-Azayim said.

However, a total settlement of the political crisis depends on a meeting between al-Bashir and First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit, the chairman of the SPLM, who will come to Khartoum on Thursday.

"The ministers of the SPLM will not return to the government until satisfied results come out of the meeting between al-Bashir and Mayardit," SPLM announced on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a high-ranking Egyptian delegation led by Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman held meetings with Sudanese officials in Khartoum to continue their mediation mission between the two peace partners in Sudan.

Earlier on the day, the Egyptian mediators paid a short visit in Juba, the capital of

southern Sudan, where they held talks with Mayardit and other senior SPLM officials.

SPLM, which signed a peace deal with the Sudanese government in 2005, decided on Thursday to withhold the participation of the movement's ministers in the central government and freeze the partnership between the SPLM and the NCP until pending issues between them were settled.

This is the most serious political crisis for the Sudanese government of national unity since it was established in September,2005, in which the political power is shared between the SPLM and NCP.

DARFUR (Sudan News Agency)

Preparations have been completed for holding the Arab Conference for Humanitarian Support to Darfur, scheduled during October 30 - 31 in Khartoum. The conference will include around 300 participants along with 100 institutions and organizations. The Commissioner General of the Humanitarian Aid, Hassabu Mohamed Abdul- Rahman, briefed heads of the Arab and Muslim organizations operating in Sudan on convocation of the conference. The commissioner referred to the procedures and steps that the government has done for holding the important conference, pointing out to the decisions taken, the committees formed and the state's positive stance concerning the conference. He said that the committees have made external tours to reflect the importance of the conference, adding that the visits in this regard included Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman. It is to be recalled that the government of Sudan has prepared projects on development and rehabilitation of Darfur. The Commission for Humanitarian Aid handed over projects of humanitarian aid to the ambassadors of the Arab states accredited to Khartoum through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Darfur Organizations' Network Monday launched a major educational campaign signaling the beginning of the Arab Conference for Humanitarian support to Darfur. The campaign was initiated in Khartoum State's Ministry of Education in the presence of officials of humanitarian and voluntary work. Khartoum State's Minister of Education, Al-Siddiq Al Hadi Al Mahdi, said that Khartoum State's pupils and students will extend support to 830,000 of their colleagues in Darfur. Head of the Network, Hassan Bargo, has appreciated Khartoum State's Ministry of Education for its support and stances.