Sudan's army chief appoints new ruling council, led by himself

 

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has formed a new transitional council, headed by himself, to lead the country following the military takeover late last month, state TV reported on Thursday.

Burhan's deputy will remain Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with both men keeping roles they held before the coup.

The new council also includes representatives of rebel groups that reached a peace deal with the government last year, and figures from Sudan's regions, state TV said.

The October 25 takeover ended a power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians that was agreed after the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019, and was meant to lead to elections in late 2023.

Some senior civilians were detained and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is under house arrest.

The council served as Sudan's collective head of state, alongside Hamdok's government which ran Sudan's day-to-day affairs. Burhan and Dagalo led the previous ruling council formed in 2019, but were due to hand over its leadership to a civilian in the coming months.

Mediation aimed at securing the release of detainees and a return to power sharing has stalled since the coup as the military moved to consolidate control. Political sources told Reuters on Thursday that there was no progress in indirect contacts between Hamdok and the army.