Sudan was expected to form its sovereign council Sunday, the first step after the landmark adoption of a transitional constitution, but the day closed with no announcement.
More celebrations were held on the streets of Khartoum Sunday, a day after rare scenes of jubilation filled the streets of the capital to hail the signing by generals and opposition leaders of the documents that will govern Sudan’s three-year transition to civilian rule.
Several high-ranking foreign officials attended the ceremony in a hall by the Nile river, the biggest event in years to be held in the once-pariah state.
Worldwide congratulations poured in after the signing, which officials alike hailed as the beginning of a “new Sudan” after 30 years of rule by the now-detained general Omar al-Bashir.
The ruling sovereign council is to be comprised of six civilians and five military nominees. Opposition sources told AFP that five names had so far been chosen, including only one woman, but the six other names had not been announced by the close of day.
It was unclear what was holding up the announcement of the council’s full line-up, which was now expected on Monday.
The body, which will replace the Transitional Military Council, will be headed by a general for the first 21 months, and a civilian for the last 18 months of the transitional period.
Abdalla Hamdok, a former UN economist who was on Thursday picked by the protest camp to be prime minister, is due to be formally appointed on Tuesday.
A cabinet is then to be formed before Sudan’s new institutions can tackle the main challenges that lie ahead, first among them measures to rescue a moribund economy.
Source: AFP
