Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has said the need to keep the country's economic recovery was one of the reasons he agreed to return to his post as part of a deal with the military.
The agreement was signed on Sunday, about month after he was removed by the country’s senior general.
Mr Hamdok will lead a government of technocrats, with the deal also stating that protesters and members of his former Cabinet detained in the takeover would be freed.
"Among the reasons for my return is preserving the economic gains and the economic opening to the world," Mr Hamdok told Reuters on Monday.
Prominent political parties and Sudan's powerful protest movement have rejected the deal, with some calling it a betrayal or saying it provides political cover for the military takeover on October 25.
Mr Hamdok, a career UN economist, was first appointed prime minister in 2019 under a power-sharing deal with the military after former president Omar Al Bashir was ousted.
Mr Hamdok has introduced economic reforms, including the lifting of fuel subsidies and a managed float of the country's currency.
The reforms, monitored by the International Monetary Fund, earned Sudan approval for forgiveness on much of its more than $50 billion foreign debt – a deal that was thrown into doubt by the military takeover.
The World Bank and some donors paused badly needed economic assistance after the takeover.
"We will continue our contacts with international financial institutions and the new budget that will begin in January will proceed on the path of economic reform and open the door to investment in Sudan," Mr Hamdok told Reuters.
The civilian coalition that shared power with the military before the takeover and former ministers have rejected the agreement owing to a violent crackdown on protests over the past month.
At least 40 people were killed in the violence.
But Mr Hamdok said a new, technocratic government could help to improve Sudan's economy, which has suffered a prolonged crisis involving one of the world's highest rates of inflation and shortages of basic goods.
The government could also work towards completing a peace deal signed with some rebel groups last year to end years of internal conflict, he said.
"Implementing the Juba agreement and completing the peace processes with groups that did not sign the Juba agreement are at the top of the new government's agenda," he said.
"We are committed to the democratic path, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and greater opening to the world."
Mr Hamdok’s return followed international calls for Sudan to resume a transition to democracy that had been overseen by the civilian-military government.
The UAE has welcomed Sunday’s agreement to complete the process.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation has expressed faith in the ability of the Sudanese people to “overcome the challenges of the ongoing stage thanks to the constitutional, legal and political compromise that governs the transitional period”.
Egypt and the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation also praised the deal signed by Mr Hamdok and Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Sudan’s military chief.
The US said the step was encouraging but it was looking for more action to be taken before resuming full aid to Sudan.
“I am encouraged by reports that talks in Khartoum will lead to the release of all political prisoners, reinstatement of Prime Minister Hamdok, lifting of the state of emergency and resumption of co-ordination,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter.
But he emphasised that Sunday’s announcement was not enough to ease strained relations with Khartoum.
He called for more talks and efforts “to complete key transitional tasks on a civilian-led path to democracy in Sudan".
The US became the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Sudan following the removal of Al Bashir in 2019.
It provided about $337 million to support the transitional government this year and has helped Khartoum in its talks with the IMF.
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The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
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RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
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Kele Okereke
(BMG)
The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
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Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
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arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
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50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
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FA Cup final
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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When is VAR used?
• Goals
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Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
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Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
