Sudan’s army leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has announced a cabinet reshuffle, replacing four ministers, including those for foreign affairs and media.
This announcement, made on Sunday, comes as Sudan grapples with the world’s most severe displacement crisis, alongside threats of famine and an urgent need for aid, according to the United Nations.
The reshuffle, confirmed via a post on Sudan’s ruling sovereignty council’s official Facebook page, sees the replacement of ministers in key areas: foreign affairs, media, religious affairs, and trade.
The civil war that erupted in April 2023 has set Burhan’s military against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The Sudanese government has since been operating from Port Sudan, an eastern city that has largely avoided the conflict.
Economist Haitham Fathy remarked earlier this year that the Sudanese state “is completely absent from the scene” across all sectors. The council did not provide reasons for the reshuffle; however, it coincides with escalating violence in al-Jazira, located south of the capital Khartoum, and North Darfur in the west, which borders Chad.
The spokesperson for United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attacks by paramilitaries in al-Jazira, a sentiment echoed by the United States in response to the violence against civilians.
Among the key appointments, Ambassador Ali Youssef al-Sharif, a retired diplomat with previous roles as Sudan’s ambassador to China and South Africa, has been named foreign minister, succeeding Hussein Awad Ali, who held the position for just seven months.
The reshuffle also includes journalist Khalid Ali Aleisir, based in London, as the new minister of culture and media. Omar Banfir has been appointed to the trade ministry, and Omar Bakhit has been appointed to the ministry of religious affairs.
Recent weeks have seen an uptick in RSF attacks on civilians in al-Jazira, particularly following the army’s announcement of an RSF commander’s defection.
According to an AFP tally, at least 200 people were killed in al-Jazira last month alone, with UN reports indicating that violence has displaced around 120,000 people. Overall, Sudan is hosting over 11 million displaced individuals, with an additional 3.1 million seeking refuge beyond its borders, as the International Organisation for Migration reported
