Al-Bashir appoints new state defence minister, reshuffles Sudan army command
February 26, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – President Omer al-Bashir Tuesday reshuffled the Sudanese army command and appointed a minister of state defence to second his defence minister who is also the first vice president.
President Omer Hassan al-Bashir who is facing over two-month protests calling for his resignation declared the state of emergency dissolved his government and appoint military governors for the 18 states.
Al-Bashir who is dressed in military fatigue since Saturday after the imposition of the state of emergency also promoted his Defence Minister Awad Ibn Ouf to the post of First-Vice President.
In a republican decree released on Tuesday, he appointed Isam al-Din al-Mubarak Habib-Allah as a state minister for defence.
The president who is the commander in chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) further reshuffled the command of the Joint Staff of the army, maintaining Lt Gen Kamal Abdel-Marouf in his position of Army’s Chief of General Staff.
The decree also appointed Lt. Gen. Hashim Abdel-Mutallab Ahmed Babikir as deputy chief of Staff and Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fatah al-Burhan Abdel-Rahman as Inspector-General of the Armed Forces.
SAF Spokesperson Ahmed al-Shami said the reshuffle comes in the context of annual routine work at the army and succession of generations.
The changes also touched the command of the air, ground and navy armies.
Gen Pilot Salah al-Din Abdel-Khaliq Saeed has been appointed as chief of staff of the Air Forces, Gen. Mohamed Osman al-Hussein has been appointed as chief of staff of the Ground Forces and Gen Abdalla al-Matari has been appointed as chief of staff of the Navy Forces.
Also, the President appointed Gen Shams al-Din Kabbashi Ibrahim as chief of staff of Joint Operations and Gen Mustafa Mohamed Mustafa as chief of staff of Military Intelligence.
(ST)