KHARTOUM, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's transitional Prime Minister Kamil Idris issued a decree on Thursday appointing three ministers as part of the new 22-member cabinet, official news agency SUNA reported.

As part of the "Government of Hope" lineup, Idris appointed Professor Ismat Qurashi Abdullah Mohammed as Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Professor Ahmed Mudawi Musa Mohamed as Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Professor Moaz Omer Bakhit Al-Awad as Minister of Health, the report said.

"The new appointments come after a careful review of qualifications and experience," the transitional prime minister was quoted as saying in the report.

About a week ago, Idris appointed the ministers of Interior and Defense, with the remaining ministers expected to be appointed gradually.

In early June, Idris dissolved the caretaker government that had been in place since January 2022, a day after he was sworn in. He assigned the secretaries-general and undersecretaries of the ministries to oversee the tasks temporarily until the new government was formed.

At that time, Idris announced that the guiding principle of his government would be "hope," and that it would be composed of independent national technocrats.

The position of prime minister remained vacant for over three years since civilian leader Abdalla Hamdok resigned in January 2022 following a military coup led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan in October 2021.

Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, in which tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes, both within Sudan and across its borders. ■