Former UN Official Kamil Idris named as Prime Minister|Courtesy

Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah Burhan, has appointed Kamil Idris, a former UN official and former presidential candidate, as the new prime minister of Sudan’s military-led government.

This marks the first time a prime minister has been appointed since the 2021 coup, which removed the civilian government and set up a caretaker administration.

It remains uncertain how much authority Idris will hold, given that the army is currently engaged in a fierce conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Idris’ appointment comes less than a month after Burhan named diplomat Dafallah al-Haj Ali as acting prime minister, although that appointment did not seem to take effect.

Earlier on Monday, Burhan re-appointed Salma Abdel Jabbar Almubarak to the ruling sovereign council and also introduced Nowara Abo Mohamed Mohamed Tahir to the same body.

A new civilian prime minister and a revamped government had been anticipated after the army took control of Khartoum from the RSF in late March.

The war erupted in April 2023 after tensions arose over the integration of the army and RSF forces, further devastating the country.

The two forces had previously worked together to stage the 2021 coup, which disrupted Sudan’s transition to democracy following the ousting of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019. In recent weeks, the RSF has targeted the army-led government with a series of drone strikes on the wartime capital of Port Sudan.