Sudan Burhan sacks senior intelligence officers, sources say
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KHARTOUM – The Sudanese military chief has reshuffled top intelligence posts, sacking at least eight general intelligence officers and replacing the military intelligence chief, two official sources told Reuters on Sunday.
Sovereign Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s decision comes a week after reaching an agreement to reinstate Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was placed under house arrest during the October 25 coup.
Of the dismissed officers, five held senior positions and had been in place since before the 2019 overthrow of longtime ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir, the sources said. On Saturday, official sources said Burhan had replaced the head of the general intelligence service.
It was not immediately clear what impact the decisions might have on the balance of power https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudans-physical-transition-balance-2021-11-22 after the return of Hamdok. Hamdok replaced the country’s two main police officials on Saturday, following deadly violence against anti-military protesters in recent weeks.
Before the coup, the military shared power with civilian groups that had participated in an uprising against Bashir. Many within these groups opposed the deal between Burhan and Hamdok, saying they wanted the military out of politics.
One of the conditions of the agreement was that the political prisoners arrested since the coup d’etat be released. Some have been released but others are still in detention.
The United States, Britain and Norway, which lead Western foreign policy in Sudan, have called for the release of all those jailed for their political beliefs across Sudan.
“These are necessary measures to restore confidence and bring Sudan back to the path of freedom and democracy,” they said in a statement.
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