Sudan’s defence minister on Monday named the nation’s first prime minister since it fell into civil war two years ago and after months of uninterrupted advances by the armed forces against its paramilitary foe. Sudan’s top general on Monday named Kamil al-Taib Idris as the nation’s first prime minister since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, a crucial political move amidst military advances against the opposition paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Idris has been appointed to create a transitional government, a step long indicated by military commander Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, especially after the army’s takeover of Khartoum in March and the RSF’s removal from the capital. The catastrophic war between Sudan’s armed forces and the RSF has already claimed at least 20,000 lives, though the true cost is estimated to be much greater.
The conflict has uprooted a near-record 13 million individuals, including 4 million who fled to other countries. With half of Sudan’s 50 million population suffering from severe hunger, humanitarian circumstances are dire. The previous prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, stepped down in 2022 amid a political stalemate and mass pro-democracy demonstrations.
Political analyst and journalist Osman Mirghani stated that naming Idris is a positive step toward the establishment of civilian-led governance and resolution of the Sudan political crisis. His prospects of being embraced by different communities of the Sudanese society appear greater, even among those favouring the RSF, since he does not have any political affiliations,” he explained.
