Sudan's army chief appoints first prime minister since war's start

Published on 20/05/2025 - 12:04 GMT+2

Sudan's service main has appointed a erstwhile UN charismatic arsenic nan African country's first premier curate since its sadistic civilian warfare collapsed retired 2 years ago, connected nan backmost of expanding subject wins, peculiarly its ousting of paramilitary forces from nan superior successful March.

Kamil al-Taib Idris, a profession diplomat who formerly worked arsenic Sudan's ineligible advisor astatine its UN ngo and had besides antecedently tally for president, will purpose to shape a transitional authorities successful nan state that has been torn isolated by fighting.

He was appointed connected Monday by nan caput of nan Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who besides serves arsenic president of Sudan's transitional sovereign council.

Idris replaces diplomat Dafallah Al-Haj Ali, whom Burhan named acting premier curate connected 30 April.

Buoyed by months of subject advances, including repelling nan Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from nan capital, nan service intends to reconstruct a semblance of normality to nan country's politics. Burhan espouses nan creation of a transitional government.

But earlier this month, the RSF began attacking Port Sudan, nan spot of nan SAF-aligned administration, which had antecedently remained a safe haven for nan astir part.

Ahmed Soliman, Senior Research Fellow astatine Chatham House’s Africa Programme, told Euronews that nan drone strikes were designed to deed captious infrastructure and show that nan service is not capable to supply civilians pinch safety.

Idris's assignment comes arsenic some nan SAF and nan RSF effort to found their governmental legitimacy, much than 3 years aft nan past premier minister, Abdalla Hamdok, stepped down successful January 2022 aft he grounded to settee disputes among nan country's governmental forces.

The warfare began successful April 2023, aft tensions betwixt SAF and nan RSF erupted successful Khartoum and soon dispersed beyond nan capital.

In February nan RSF and its friends signed a governmental charter successful Kenya’s superior Nairobi, aimed astatine establishing a parallel authorities to situation nan military-backed administration. The charter, which called for “a secular, antiauthoritarian and decentralised state”, intensified concerns astir nan splintering of Sudan.

The warfare has been marked by atrocities committed by some nan SAF and nan RSF, including wide rape and ethnically motivated killings, that whitethorn magnitude to warfare crimes and crimes against humanity, according to nan UN and world quality authorities groups.

Last month, Amnesty International released an investigation finding that nan RSF had committed wide intersexual violence, which it said amounted to imaginable crimes against humanity. 

Estimates of nan number killed successful nan conflict alteration widely, from 24,000 to arsenic galore arsenic 150,000. Some 13 cardinal group person been forced to fly their homes, including 4 cardinal who person near nan country.

Parts of Sudan are suffering famine, pinch astir half nan organization — astir 25 cardinal group — experiencing acute nutrient insecurity, according to nan Office of nan United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).