Sudan’s Army Chief Appoints Ex-UN Official Kamil Idris as Prime Minister

Sudan’s military leader, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has named former United Nations official Kamil Idris as the country’s new prime minister, marking a major political shift over two years into the ongoing civil war.

Idris, a seasoned diplomat and former presidential candidate, previously served as Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization and held a position in Sudan’s permanent mission to the UN. His appointment was confirmed in a statement issued Monday by the ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council.

“The chairman of the sovereignty council issued a constitutional decree appointing Kamil El-Tayeb Idris Abdelhafiz as prime minister,” the council announced, according to AFP.

Idris contested the presidency in 2010 against then-leader Omar Al-Bashir. He now steps into office at a time when Sudan is gripped by a devastating conflict between Burhan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, his former deputy. The war, which began in April 2023, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over 13 million people, making it one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, according to the UN.

Idris succeeds Dafallah Al-Hajj Ali, who served briefly as acting prime minister after being appointed in late April. Burhan had previously pledged to form a technocratic wartime cabinet to help advance the military’s goal of reclaiming full control of Sudan.