Sudan’s central bank forms committee to run bank linked to RSF
February 14, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The Central Bank of Sudan on Saturday appointed an administrative committee to take over the management of the Animal Resources Bank, a move following long-standing disputes over the ownership of the lender.
Shareholders in the bank say the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) acquired a majority of the shares before the outbreak of the war in April 2023, giving the paramilitary group a 60% stake. In August 2024, the central bank said RSF members and affiliates were among the institution’s partners.
The central bank said in a statement that its governor issued a decree forming the committee to assume the duties of the board of directors, organize administrative work and ensure the continuity of the bank’s operations.
Mohamed al-Hassan Ziyada al-Haj will chair the committee, which also includes Mohamed al-Hassan Mohamed Ahmed al-Khalifa, al-Hassan Makki Ahmed and Mohamed Ahmed Adam Zain al-Abidin.
The committee has been granted the full powers of a board of directors and is required to submit quarterly performance reports to the central bank governor.
The Animal Resources Bank, a public limited company, is one of Sudan’s primary financial institutions supporting the livestock sector, a vital component of the country’s rural economy.
Khaled Mohamed Khair, head of the bank’s shareholders’ committee, told Sudan Tribune the central bank’s decision was a positive step. He said the committee welcomed the move, having previously opposed what it called RSF plans to seize the bank’s assets and properties.
Khair added that shareholders had earlier urged the central bank to dismiss the general manager and deploy inspection teams from the central bank and the Auditor General to investigate alleged RSF-linked violations.
He said the committee has filed lawsuits against the bank’s management and its general manager with the Public Funds and Anti-Corruption Prosecution.
The bank has struggled with financial instability, with 2023 reports indicating the withdrawal of deposits totalling about 5 trillion Sudanese pounds ($8.3 billion) amid allegations of financial and administrative corruption.
In 2018, the central bank reportedly sold 52% of its shares in the lender for $4 million, even though the lender’s assets were valued at roughly $330 million the previous year.