CAIRO - Sudan’s army chief on Monday appointed the country’s first prime minister since it plunged into civil war two years ago and following months of steady advances by the military against its paramilitary rival.
Kamil al-Taib Idris will be tasked with forming the country’s transitional government, a move long touted by military chief Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan, particularly after the army regained control of Khartoum in March and ousted the Rapid Support Forces from the capital. The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 when the military and the RSF turned against each other in a struggle for power. Their battles spread from Khartoum to around the country. At least 20,000 people have been killed, but the real toll is probably far higher. Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes, 4 million of them streaming into neighbouring countries. Half the population of 50 million faces hunger. The last prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, resigned in 2022 during a political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests. (Jamaica Gleaner