Bashir reshuffles Sudan cabinet
2007-10-18 11:21
Khartoum - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has approved a cabinet reshuffle, one demand of former southern rebels who withdrew from a coalition government last week triggering the country's worst political crisis in years.
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) froze participation in Sudan's coalition government complaining it was being sidelined and that key elements of a January 2005 peace deal that ended 20 years of war were being ignored.
Bashir's decision to approve the cabinet reshuffle, which had been delayed for three months, followed his first meeting on Tuesday with SPLM officials since the crisis began.
Presidential spokesperson Mahjoub Fadul said: "The president issued a decree to reshuffle the cabinet and the reshuffle included two presidential advisors, six ministerial posts and six ministers of state in the national government."
Ministers 'to return to work'
He said other issues raised would be discussed with SPLM chairperson Salva Kiir, who was also Sudan's first vice-president.
SPLM Information Minister Samson Kwaje said earlier after the cabinet reshuffle that his group would rejoin the government to try to work to resolve outstanding issues.
But he later clarified his statement to say participation in the government was "not automatic" and would depend upon Kiir's meeting with Bashir on Thursday.
Calling the reshuffle a positive step, Kwaje said: "There are other contentious issues ... it is not automatic that the ministers will return to work ... the meeting tomorrow is very crucial, if not resolving this issue, then at least to find a way forward to resolve it".
Another SPLM official said: "Until Salva is satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with Bashir ... the one who is going to decide about resuming work or not is Salva."
Peace agreement 'biggest challenge'
The SPLM decision to withdraw from the coalition government formed by the 2005 peace agreement was seen as the biggest challenge to date to the landmark deal, which ended Africa's longest civil conflict.
Sudan's north-south war claimed two million lives and drove four million from their homes. It largely pitted Khartoum's Islamist government against mostly Christian animist rebels.
The SPLM called their withdrawal a "wake-up call" for their former foes, the National Congress Party, to encourage them to move on and implement the deal.
Kwaje said: "I think it will happen, they've learnt a good lesson."
Among those affected by the reshuffle was former SPLM Foreign Minister Lam Akol who was slated for the ministry of cabinet affairs.
Akol's removal from the powerful Foreign Ministry, observers said, was key to the reshuffle.
But SPLM officials said the ministers approved by Bashir were not the ones Kiir wanted and the president should have waited until he met Kiir to make an announcement.