Sudanese-Dutch lawyer Osama Said has confirmed that he was nominated to serve as justice minister in the TASIS-backed Peace Government, but says he has not yet formally accepted the position.
Said made the comments to Dutch broadcaster NOS as part of an investigation into links between Sudan’s war and the Netherlands.
TASIS announced Said among a group of ministerial appointments in May, naming him to the justice portfolio as the Peace Government continued building civilian institutions in areas under its authority.
The appointment itself was previously reported by The Sudan Times.
The new NOS investigation, however, provides Said’s first direct confirmation from the Netherlands that the nomination has not yet been formally accepted.
“I was indeed nominated as TASIS justice minister,” Said told NOS, adding that his political work was carried out voluntarily from the Netherlands.
He said his objective was to help reduce the suffering caused by Sudan’s war and rejected suggestions that participation in TASIS amounted to legitimising abuses committed by any armed force.
Said said violations of civilian rights should be rejected regardless of whether they are committed by the Rapid Support Forces or the Sudanese Armed Forces, adding that those responsible should face justice.
He also described the Peace Government as transitional and said his political activity was aimed at achieving peace.
Said, a Sudanese-Dutch lawyer who has long been involved in Sudanese politics, was among the signatories involved in establishing the TASIS coalition in Nairobi.
He has also appeared publicly as a TASIS representative in international media.
The Netherlands, like other Western governments, has not recognised the Peace Government.
TASIS maintains that its administration is intended to create a decentralised civilian alternative to the army-aligned authorities operating from Port Sudan and says it supports accountability for abuses committed during the war.
