20-05-2025
Appointment of Kamal Idris as Prime Minister of Sudan stirs contradictory reactions
Observers describe the appointment as void of required political legitimacy and apparently failing to secure broad consensus.
Port Sudan: Altaghyeer
The appointment of Dr. Kamal Idris as Prime Minister of Sudan on Monday has stirred intense debate among those who support him and a strong reaction among those who opposing his appointment, as he has been linked to controversial regimes, including Omar al-Bashir's, the December Revolution but equally with the current war period.
Who is Kamal Idris?
Idris graduated from the University of Khartoum's Faculty of Law. He holds a Ph.D. in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
He served as Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1997-2003.
Throughout his career, he has held various distinguished positions, including member of the UN International Law Commission and spokesperson for the Group of Developing Countries.
He is fluent in Arabic, English, and French, with knowledge of Spanish.
Idris has received numerous awards and honors, including honorary doctorates from several universities worldwide.
Contradiction and Criticism
The newly appointed Prime Minister was described as a self-contradictory who seeks only his own interests.
Critics pointed out that he was an uncommitted member of the Sudanese Communist Party and engaged in activities of its university students' offshoot 'the Democratic Front' and a member of the late Sudan military ruler Jaffar Nimeri's party 'the Sudanese Socialist Union' before aligning with the Islamic Front.
He was a candidate in the 2010 Presidential Elections against al-Bashir with the support of Islamists, who wanted to make the elections plausible as a true democratic process.
He appeared in a video clip during the latest revolution describing al-Bashir's regime as criminal and demanding it's resignation and recently appeared in a recording speech denouncing any debasing of the national army, saying such persons should be denied to assume any public posts.
Challenges Ahead of the New Prime Minister
The new Prime Minister Faces significant challenges, including managing the political and economic crisis, rebuilding state institutions, and achieving stability amidst the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
He also faces challenges of being accepted by the Sudanese masses, with many expressing their rejection of his appointment, citing corruption cases linked to his career.
In 2006, he reportedly faked his birth date certificate, pushing his birth date from 1945 to 1954, to fit for staying at his job, leaping away from looming retirement age at the time.
Reactions
Some observers believe that Kamal Idris's chances of success might be greater than expected given his neutral stance and this step could potentially pave the way for a ceasefire.
But others cited reservations.
Nour al-Din Salah al-Din, a partisan leader, stated that the appointment lacks the required political legitimacy, emphasizing such a move needs broad consensus resulting from a Sudanese inclusive political process.
Academic Adel Taha Suleiman believes that the question was not rejecting Kamal Idris' appointment but rather putting an end to the current raging war. Idris' appointment was backed by the Islamic movement leadership who wanted the war to continue therefore Idris will come and leave without solving the roots causes of the problem, he argued.
