Sudan’s Burhan appoints envoy Dafallah Al-Haj as cabinet minister, government head

April 30, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Army Commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on Wednesday appointed the country’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dafallah Al-Haj Ali Osman, as Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Head of Government.

Osman has held several positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since joining in 1980, including Sudan’s representative to the United Nations (UN) and ambassador to countries such as France. He was appointed Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry after the October 25, 2021, coup.

He was relieved as Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry on December 8, 2023, before Burhan appointed him as a special envoy following the outbreak of conflict. He was later appointed ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

The Sovereign Council intends to form a new government and has recently dismissed several appointed ministers and governors, including former Foreign Minister Ali Youssif, at the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.

On February 19, the government amended the Constitutional Document, granting the Sovereign Council the power to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the transitional legislative authority, defined as the Sovereign Council and the Council of Ministers acting together.

Those amendments also extended the transitional period to 39 months, starting February 23, 2025, when they were published in the Official Gazette, if a national consensus is not reached or elections are not held.