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Sudan's Bashir announces new gov't, names new foreign, defense ministers

Xinhua, June 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced on Saturday a new government with changes to key ministerial posts including defense, foreign affairs and oil, official Sudan TV reported.

The announcement came days after the president was sworn in for a new five-year term.

According to the report, Ibrahim Ghandour will be the foreign minister, while Mohamed Zayed is the new oil minister. Lieutenant-General Mostafa Osman Abeed is to serve as the acting defense minister.

Also in the report, al-Bashir kept Bakri Hassan Saleh and Hassabo Mohamed Abdul-Rahman as his vice presidents.

On Tuesday at his inauguration ceremony, al-Bashir vowed to be faithful and honest in performing his duties, abide by the law and the constitution, defend Sudan and protect its territories, lay down the bases of democratic rule and preserve the unity of Sudan.

The 71-year-old Sudanese president, also chairman of the ruling National Congress Party, scored a landslide victory in the presidential polls in April, obtaining 94.5 percent of the votes, despite that opposition parties and rebel factions in Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Darfur urged to boycott the election.

In 2003, ethnic insurgents launched a rebellion in the western region of Darfur. The United Nations said more than 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict since then, and more than two million have been displaced.

Shortly after he took the presidential oath of office, al-Bashir issued full pardons to the rebels, and invited them to join national peace talks.

He added that peace is his top priority in the new term, promising that "this is a new era whose title is the comprehensive peace in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile." Enditem