KHARTOUM, Sudan
Six Sudanese cabinet ministers
have quit and another was sacked, the government said on Thursday, days after
tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets demanding long-awaited reforms.
"Six
ministers have resigned to allow a change in the (18-member) government"
line-up, a statement from Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok's office said.
It said
those who quit were the ministers of foreign affairs, finance, energy,
agriculture, transport and animal resources.
The
health minister was sacked, the statement said, without elaborating.
During a
cabinet meeting, Hamdok stressed the need "to evaluate the government's
performance in order to satisfy public opinion following calls for a government
reshuffle", the statement added.
On June
30, tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters flocked the streets of the capital
Khartoum and other cities, calling for economic reforms.
The
protesters also demanded justice for those killed in anti-government
demonstrations last year that pushed the army to force veteran president Omar
al-Bashir from office.
Bashir
was ousted in April 2019 following months-long mass protests against his
30-year rule, an uprising triggered by economic hardship.
He was
replaced by a transitional military government but after weeks of tense
negotiations between the military and protest leaders, a civilian-majority
administration was set up in August.
The new
administration was tasked with ruling Sudan for a three-year transitional
period, and in September Hamdok's government was sworn in.
The
post-Bashir administration vowed to tackle the country's daunting economic
woes, largely blamed on the former regime's policies, and forge peace with
rebel groups.
At least 246 were killed and hundreds others wounded during the anti-government protests, according to doctors linked to Sudan's protest movement. - AFP
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