Sudan's head of the military, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, speaks during a press conference in Khartoum, Oct. 26, 2021. (AP)

Sudan’s coup leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has named a new ruling council with himself as the leader and excluding civilian members of the previous council.

He was sworn in on Thursday.

Gen Burhan retained his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemeti, as well as other senior military leaders to the positions they held before the 25 October coup.

The 14-member transitional council also includes civilians but none from the political coalition that was in power before the coup.

Sudan’s ousted Information Minister Hamza Balloul termed the new move an extension of the coup and said the people “can defeat [it] and continue the transition”.

The new council comes into existence despite increasing domestic and international pressure to reverse the coup.

The UN envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, says the army chief’s unilateral appointment of the council makes it increasingly difficult for the country to return to constitutional order.

The UN envoy called for an urgent negotiated solution to restore political and economic life to normalcy.

He also urged the military to take other “confidence-building measures, including the restoration of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s full liberty”.