Sudan’s army chief and de facto head of state, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has appointed former United Nations official Kamil Idris as prime minister, as the country’s civil war grinds on into its third year.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, critical infrastructure has been destroyed and more than 12 million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The chairman of the sovereignty council issued a constitutional decree appointing Kamil El-Tayeb Idris Abdelhafiz as prime minister,” a statement from Sudan’s ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council read on Monday.
The Sovereignty Council, the body that encompassed the Sudanese presidency, has the power to appoint Sudan’s prime minister. However, the prime minister is not a member of the Sovereignty Council, and is instead a different branch of the country’s executive, focused on the day to day running of the government.
Idris, a career diplomat, spent decades at the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organisation and was its director general from 1997 to 2008.
He also held various roles in Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and used to serve in the country’s permanent mission to the UN.
Idris, whose higher education was in international law and international affairs, also ran as an independent candidate in Sudan’s presidential election in 2010 against longtime military ruler Omar al-Bashir, who was later ousted in a 2019 coup.
The African Union on Tuesday welcomed Idris’s appointment, calling it “a step toward inclusive governance” and expressing hope that the move will “restore constitutional order and democratic governance in Sudan”.
On Monday, al-Burhan also added two women to the ruling sovereign council.
The military leader reappointed Salma Abdel Jabbar Almubarak and named Nowara Abo Mohamed Mohamed Tahir to the governing body.
The al-Burhan-led military and the RSF, a paramilitary headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have been at war for more than two years after the two generals failed to agree on a plan to integrate their forces.
Last month, Dagalo announced the RSF would form a rival administration, shortly after signing a charter with allies in Kenya’s Nairobi. Details still remain unclear, and the make up of the government has yet to be publically announced.
The army, which holds areas in the central, eastern and northern parts of Sudan, has managed to claim some military victories in recent months, including taking control of the capital, Khartoum.
The RSF, which holds most of the western region of Darfur and some areas in the south with its allied militias, has been striking Port Sudan repeatedly this month to devastating effect.
Meanwhile, a worsening humanitarian crisis continues to engulf Sudan.
International organisations and some countries have warned of the risks of further escalating the conflict, including in cities like el-Fasher in Darfur that have served as humanitarian aid hubs.
