The Ten Commandments for the Transitional Government of Kamil Idris

By Babiker Ismail

July 19 marks the 54th anniversary of the failed coup attempt by the Communist Party and a coalition of leftist parties (Ba’athists, Nasserists, and Arab nationalists) to seize power in Sudan. The attempt lasted three days, during which they committed the infamous Guest House massacre, cold-bloodedly executing all captured officers from the “Abluda” unit. The events of that night bear striking resemblance to the present day—a subject we may return to in a separate article.

The transitional government of Dr. Kamal Idris faces a host of urgent and noble tasks. Below is a summary of the most critical among them:

1. Launch nationwide security and health campaigns to collect war debris and corpses, spray disinfectants, and improve sanitation. Ministries should return to their headquarters in Khartoum, with urgent repairs to water, electricity, and health services, and the restoration of police and banking services.

2. Begin the phased return of war-displaced individuals to their cities, villages, and homes. Assist Sudanese refugees abroad in returning to the embrace of their homeland, with priority given to areas such as Khartoum, Jebel Aulia, Bahri, and East Nile.

3. Reopen universities and schools within three months (by October 2025). During this period, all postponed certificate examinations should be conducted. University administrations should adopt a two-shift system (morning and evening) and cancel Saturday holidays, with appropriate financial compensation for faculty. All public and private universities must be mandated to implement e-learning systems and digitize services and libraries. Universities that relocated abroad should return to their original campuses within six months. Alumni networks should be encouraged to support their universities, and UNESCO and friendly nations should be engaged to help rehabilitate Sudanese universities.

4. Form a National High Committee to ensure the success of the current agricultural season. A dedicated financial portfolio should be created to fund farming operations, including fuel, seeds, and machinery. Priority funding should go to wheat and sorghum production, and security must be ensured in rain-fed agricultural areas. Farmers in the Gezira and Managil schemes should be directed to prioritize wheat and sorghum, with all local harvest used for domestic consumption. Surplus produce should be stored as a strategic reserve.

5. Establish a Sudan Reconstruction Fund financed by friendly nations, international financial institutions, contributions from expatriates, and businesspeople. Impose a 20% gold extraction tax (applicable to both artisanal and corporate mining) to support the fund. Introduce a “Reconstruction Stamp” fee of 10 SDG on all government services. The fund will support the rehabilitation of health, education, and industrial infrastructure, and offer microloans to artisans and small business owners to be repaid over five years. It will also provide direct cash grants to compensate civilians, treat the wounded, and support the families of martyrs.

6. Rehabilitate and secure national highways, particularly export corridors connecting production zones to ports—especially the Omdurman–Bara road after the liberation of Bara, the Northern Artery road, and the Atbara–Haiya–Port Sudan highway. It is also proposed that a customs agreement be signed with Egypt to allow Sudan to use Egyptian ports without additional tariffs for 6–12 months until Port Sudan and major national roads are rehabilitated.

Tender proposals should be launched for the construction of Abu Amama Port, or investment funding secured via operational BOT (Build–Operate–Transfer) partnerships with friendly nations (e.g., Qatar and Turkey).

Rehabilitate Khartoum International Airport and seek loans for constructing a new Khartoum airport, along with new regional airports in Wad Madani, Gedaref, Damazin, El-Obeid, Halfa, Merowe, Zalingei, and El-Daein (the latter two after liberation). Upgrade the airports of Atbara, Dongola, El-Obeid, Kassala, Port Sudan, El Fasher, Nyala, and El Geneina (the last three also post-liberation).

7. Launch a National Anti-Poverty Campaign—a ten-year plan to eradicate poverty and build a welfare state through comprehensive development projects. This will be elaborated on in a separate article.

8. Reintegration and rehabilitation of support forces who fought alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Dignity War. Establish permanent reserve forces comprising citizens aged 18–50, male and female. Relocate military camps and installations outside urban centers. Build a modern radar network covering all of Sudan’s airspace and establish an advanced air defense system.

Form a border protection force equipped with fast vehicles, night-vision binoculars, and local intelligence networks.

Additionally, Sudanese cities must be protected from the potential collapse of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) by digging an emergency drainage path along the Blue Nile (a pressure-relief channel), deep enough to absorb large water inflows and redirect them to uninhabited regions or the Sudanese groundwater basin.

9. Reform and downsize the civil service, redistributing human resources across the states. Digitize government services and revenue collection. Combat corruption, favoritism, and nepotism. Implement an electronic recruitment system managed by certified professional firms under the supervision of the Sudanese Universities Union.

10. Regulate foreign presence through electronic and aerial border monitoring. Ban work permits for foreigners in jobs that Sudanese citizens are able to perform. Impose strict penalties on non-compliant employers. Introduce monthly residency fees for foreigners—with exemptions for Egyptians, Eritreans, and South Sudanese in appreciation of their role in sheltering Sudanese citizens during the war. Establish a dedicated police and security unit to monitor, register, and control foreign presence in Sudan.

The list of tasks is by no means exhaustive. What I’ve mentioned here is subject to expansion, revision, and supplementation.

May our beloved homeland be elevated and preserved.