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Sudan army chief Burhan appoints former UN official Idris as prime minister

Kamil Idris

Former UN official and ex-presidential candidate Kamil Idris.

Photo credit: Pool

Dubai,

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Burhan appointed Kamil Idris, a former UN official and ex-presidential candidate, as prime minister of Sudan's military-led government on Monday.

The appointment installs a prime minister for the first time since a coup in 2021 ousted civilian leadership and established a caretaker government.

It is unclear how much power the prime minister will have as the army fights a devastating war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Idris' appointment follows less than a month after Burhan named diplomat Dafallah al-Haj Ali as acting prime minister, in a move that did not appear to take effect.

Earlier on Monday, Burhan re-appointed Salma Abdel Jabbar Almubarak to the ruling sovereign council and also appointed Nowara Abo Mohamed Mohamed Tahir to that governing body.

A new civilian prime minister and overhauled government were expected to be formed after the army took control of the capital Khartoum from the RSF in late March.

Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Burhan. 

Photo credit: Ashraf Shazly | AFP

War broke out in April 2023 between the two forces after they disagreed on integrating their forces, devastating the country. The two forces had collaborated in carrying out a coup in 2021 that derailed a transition to democracy following the ousting of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

The RSF has dealt a blow to the army-led government with a series of drone attacks in recent weeks on the wartime capital of Port Sudan.