Burhan appoints former Bashir aide as Eastern Sudan’s adviser

November 11, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on Wednesday named Musa Mohamed Ahmed, a former assistant to ousted president Omar al-Bashir, as an adviser with the rank of federal minister.

Ahmed was also appointed to lead the Eastern Sudan Reconstruction and Development Fund, according to an official decree.

The appointment coincided with a separate decree by Burhan dismissing the governor of Kassala state, retired Major General al-Sadiq al-Azraq, and replacing him with Armed Forces Inspector General Lieutenant General Rashad Abdel Hamid.

Ahmed is a prominent political figure in eastern Sudan who previously headed the Beja Congress and led the Eastern Front, an alliance that mounted an armed rebellion against Khartoum before signing a peace accord in Asmara in 2006.

The 2006 deal provided for wealth and power sharing, the integration of fighters into regular forces, and the establishment of a fund to address chronic underdevelopment across Red Sea, Kassala, and Gedaref states.

Ahmed later served as an assistant to Bashir and previously oversaw the eastern reconstruction agency, which finances basic services, water, health, and education projects.

Ahmed maintains close political ties with Mohamed al-Amin Tirik, the influential head of the Hadendowa tribe.

Local media reported that Burhan’s decisions followed pressure from Tirik, who had publicly clashed with the dismissed governor and called for Kassala state to be divided.