Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appoints new ruling council, led by himself
- The 14-member Sovereign Council includes some civilians, but none from the political coalition that shared power with the military until the recent coup
- Burhan’s deputy will remain Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces
Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has formed a new transitional council, headed by himself, to lead the country following the military takeover late last month, state media reported on Thursday.
The new 14-member Sovereign Council, for which one member is yet to be named, includes civilians representing Sudan’s regions but none from the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) political coalition that had been sharing power with the military since 2019.
Burhan’s deputy will remain Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with both men keeping roles they held before the coup.
The move is likely to harden opposition among civilian groups who have pledged to resist the takeover through a campaign of civil disobedience, strikes and mass rallies, the next of which is planned for Saturday.
Late on Thursday, protesters closed roads and burned tyres in Burri, a neighbourhood in the east of the capital Khartoum, witnesses said. Unverified pictures posted on social media appeared to show similar protests in other parts of the capital.