SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Sudan’s army chief al-Burhan appoints new ruling council led by himself and excluding FFC

11/11/2021: Multiple sources – Sudan’s army chief al-Burhan appoints new ruling council led by himself and excluding FFC

• Reuters, by Khalid Abdelaziz

• AP, by Fay Abuelgasim

• Bloomberg, by Abdel Latif Wahba

• Radio Dabanga

• AFP

• Sudan Tribune

• New York Times, by Declan Walsh

Sudanese army chief Abdulfattah al-Burhan announced that the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) will be reinstated under his chairmanship, with the same military members and rebel leaders as before, but with the five Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) appointees all replaced.

Non-FFC civilian Raja Nichola keeps her place on the TSC, joined by Abulgasim Bortom, Yousef Jad Karim, Abdelbagi al-Zubeir, and Salma Abdeljabbar. The announcement stipulates that the appointment of a representative from eastern Sudan is postponed until “the completion of the consultations”.

“This consolidates the [military’s] hold on power, and deflects attention from al-Burhan to a wider group that is nominally responsible for governing,” said Cameron Hudson of the Atlantic Council to the New York Times.

“American diplomatic pressure in recent weeks has focused on getting the military to reinstate Hamdok as prime minister…this moves us in the opposite direction,” Hudson added.