Late on Thursday, a decree has been issued by Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for the formation of a new governing Sovereign Council, who led a coup last month that removed the country’s transitional government.
According to the decree reported by state television, al-Burhan will remain the head of the council, while Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, would keep his post as deputy.
The development comes more than two weeks after the army dissolved the body, together with the civilian cabinet led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, in a power grab that has been condemned by the international community.
With the task of overseeing Sudan’s transition to democracy following the removal of Omar al-Bashir in the wake of a military coup in 2019, the Sovereignty Council was formed as part of a power-sharing agreement between members of the army and civilians.
Alongside the government of Hamdok, which ran Sudan’s day-to-day affairs, the council had served as the country’s collective head of state. The military leadership was due to hand over power to the civilian leadership in the coming months.
The new council includes army commanders, former rebel leaders, and new civilian members. State television expressed that, after more political consultations, a representative for the eastern Sudan region will join the council later.
