The new Committee of Jaber and Khartoum .. – The Truth – ✍️ Ibrahim Shaqlawi
Yesterday, political and media circles were occupied by a torrent of different interpretations of the decision of Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Jaber, member of the sovereign council and president of the reconstruction committee, to stop the maintenance of government buildings in the state of Khartoum.
Between those who considered it as an administrative procedure which relates to the efforts of governance, transparency and performance control, and which considered it to reflect a financial crisis, unfortunately – has missed most of the discussions a very important third dimension: does the decision represent a change in the point of view of the State on the location and work of the capital?
Are we approaching a strategic vision in which Khartoum is rebuilt as a visual, political and architectural identity, inspired by history and impatiently awaiting the characteristics of modern Sudan?
In my opinion, the decision does not appear in terms of calendar and content, just an administrative procedure, but rather reflects a mental change in the administration of the Sudanese State of the national capital file.
The stopping of the interview is not only read from the point of view of financial rationalization or to avoid waste in damaged or non -valid installations, but in the context of an ambitious project to establish an “new pipe”, comparable to the main capitals, is included, benefiting from its ideal location on the banks of the Nile.
The challenge here is not limited to the construction of concrete structures or service institutions, but rather exceeds it to reflect on the meaning of the capital, as a national decision center, a cultural and historical destination, and an area which reflects the nature of power and the model of the modern state … in addition to Sudanese civilization.
It is a mistake to reduce the decision in discussions on maintenance offers or suspicion of corruption and the lack of transparency. The question is political with distinction, linked to the desire to establish a capital which transcends the colonial heritage and administrative improvisation, towards a modern civil space, in harmony with regional and architectural contexts, and is capable of representing Sudan in international forums.
War, despite its misfortune, has produced a rare opportunity to rethink the country’s spatial structure. The destructive and deserts areas can constitute platforms for a new start, towards an urban planning which goes beyond the overcrowding and the random character that we have suffered, and reshape the capital center and the distribution of civil and sovereign jobs in an innovative way during which the high creative events are manifest.
From this point of view, the last decision can be read as an early reference to the transfer of Sudan from the restoration stage to the stage of the establishment and the transition.
It seems that the team, Jaber, of its position at the head of the Supreme Committee to create the appropriate environment for the return of citizens to Khartoum, adopts a vision that goes beyond the idea of maintenance as a financial burden which does not add new mentality and aesthetics of modern construction, in an architectural style based on an idea, and with a new mentality and a new aesthetic studied.
In this context, Kigali’s experience, the capital of Rwanda, deserves to be summoned as an inspiring model. The city came out of one of the most odious collectors in 1994, and it was then modest and marginalized, but it only transformed two decades into one of the cleanest and organized capital in Africa.
It was not thanks to political will.
Kigali Expection offers a pre-reputation to Khartoum, if this decisive moment of transition is invested not only by huge budgets, but by breaking the stereotypes in thought, by calling national skills in the architecture, planning and the visual identity of the state.
The real challenge is not the reconstruction of what has been destroyed, but rather to redefine what should be. Sudanese architects and planners must advance the ranks to create a “new Khartoum” on solid aesthetic and functional foundations, combining the symbolism of the modern state with the requirements of the citizen with services and dignity.
Depending on what we see from the face of the truth, we say:
Does this decision turn into a real starting point in the Sudanese relationship with their capital? Have we finally witnessed the birth of a city that is not ashamed to receive arrivals and are not hiding from hosting peaks and conferences? It may be time to dream of Khartoum worthy of us, in which we do not recover from the houses of the rich in national events to welcome delegations, but we are proud of their official institutions and their elegant public buildings, because the nations are proud of their capitals.
You are fine and well.
Wednesday August 6, 2025 ad shglawi55@gmail.com
