Khartoum — The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir on Tuesday picked a senior member from the Federal Umma Party, Ghazi Al-Sadig to become the new information minister.

This follows last week's resignation of ex-information minister Abdullah Ali Massar in a dispute with presidency over suspension of Awad Jadain, the director of Sudan's official news agency (SUNA) over what he termed as financial and administrative irregularities.

Bashir reinstated Jadain and ordered a freeze to any investigation committees formed by the former minister and yesterday he formally accepted Massar's resignation.

The new minister, who is an agricultural engineer by profession, is the tourism minister in the current cabinet as part of the allocation given to non-ruling parties. Massar himself belonged to the Umma Party Collective Leadership.

A senior member of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and head of the political secretariat Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahim was appointed as tourism minister.

Today's decision ends speculations that state minister Sana Hamad will be appointed to take Massar's place. She was sacked in yesterday's decree which accepted Massar's resignation.

Hamad was supportive of SUNA's director and she openly criticized Massar for suspending him saying that the only authority can sack or suspend him is the president himself.

It is not yet clear why she was fired despite her wide popularity among ordinary citizens. But some sources still expect her to be appointed at the presidential palace.