Sudan’s Burhan appoints Yasir al-Atta as new army chief of staff
April 2 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appointed Sovereignty Council member Yasir al-Atta as the army’s chief of staff on Thursday. He also named new deputies for supply, training, and operations.
Al-Atta is a prominent military figure who has played a major role since the fall of Omer al-Bashir’s regime. He served as a member of the Transitional Military Council and later became a member of the Sovereignty Council and assistant to the army chief.
When conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in the capital in April 2023, al-Atta became the sole member of the Sovereign Council to stay in Omdurman, where he took command of the army forces across Khartoum state.
He was not positioned at the army headquarters, where Burhan remained under siege for several months.
He has been vocal in his opposition to the United Arab Emirates. The UAE faces accusations of fueling the conflict by providing financial, political, and military support to the RSF.
A statement from the army spokesperson’s office said al-Burhan, as head of the Sovereignty Council and commander-in-chief, reformed the General Staff. General Yasir Abdel Rahman Hassan al-Atta was appointed to lead the military body.
In a separate decree, al-Burhan relieved General Mohamed Osman al-Hussein of his duties as chief of staff and sent him into retirement. Al-Hussein had held the position since 2019.
The statement noted that Lieutenant General Abdel Khair Abdallah Nasser Darjam was appointed as deputy chief of staff for administration. Lieutenant General Mohamed Ali Ahmed Sabir was named head of military intelligence, and Lieutenant General Moatasim Abbas al-Tom Ahmed became deputy chief of staff for operations.
The reshuffle also included the appointment of Lieutenant General Haider Ali al-Traifi Ali as deputy chief of staff for training. Lieutenant General Khalaf Allah Abdallah Idris Abdel Rahman was appointed as deputy chief of staff for supply.
This reshuffle is the second of its kind in recent months. In August 2025, al-Burhan retired a large number of officers and previously restructured the military leadership.
Al-Burhan also promoted several officers from major general to lieutenant general. Those promoted include Mohieddin Abakar Mohamed Saleh, Ahmed Saleh Ahmed Abboud, Rabie Fadlallah Mustafa al-Siddiq, Adel al-Obaid Abdel Rahim Abdel Rahman, and Amir Fadlallah Mohamed Ali.
The army chief also retired several officers after promoting them to general. These included former deputy chief of staff for supply, Magdi Ibrahim Osman, and former deputy chief of staff for training, Khalil Khalid Abedin Mohamed Ahmed al-Shami.
The retirement orders also applied to Lieutenant General al-Mahdi Abdel Rahman Mohamed Omer and Lieutenant General Nasr al-Din Abdel Qayyum Ahmed Ali.