After a long civil war, Sudan swears in new Prime Minister – Legal expert Dr. Kamal Idris

After a long civil war, Sudan swears in new Prime Minister – Legal expert Dr. Kamal Idris

Politician and legal scholar Dr. Kamal Idris, who holds a PhD in international law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, was sworn in on Saturday as Sudan’s new Prime Minister. The oath-taking ceremony was attended by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council.

On May 19, al-Burhan issued a constitutional decree appointing Kamal Idris as Prime Minister.

According to Sudan’s state news agency SUNA, present at the swearing-in ceremony were Lieutenant General Mohamed al-Ghali Ali Youssef, Secretary-General of the Sovereign Council, and a member of the judiciary representing the Chief Justice of the Red Sea Province.

Kamal Idris is an experienced politician, holding a PhD in international law, and he was also a candidate in the 2010 presidential elections.

Before Idris's appointment, Sudan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dafallah al-Haj Youssef, was serving as the Minister of Cabinet Affairs and acting Prime Minister.

In April 2019, following a military coup that removed President Omar al-Bashir from power, al-Burhan formed an interim government. A Transitional Sovereign Council was established in August of that year, which later became a fully sovereign body in November 2021.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been experiencing a bloody conflict between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This fighting has already resulted in thousands of deaths and has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

According to the United Nations and local authorities, more than 20,000 people have died in the conflict, and over 15 million have been displaced.
However, U.S.-based researchers estimate that the actual death toll could be as high as 130,000.