Al-Burhan strengthens his control over the central and eastern regions of Sudan.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea_Agencies: The commander of the Sudanese army appointed a group of new senior officers on Monday, in a reshuffle that strengthens his grip on the army as he controls the central and eastern regions and wages fierce battles in the west. The Sudanese army, which controls the government, has been waging a civil war for more than two years with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which was its partner in power, resulting in the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made new appointments to the Joint Chiefs of Staff a day after announcing the retirement of a number of veteran officers, some of whom gained some fame over the past two years. Al-Burhan kept the Chief of the Joint Staff, Lieutenant General Muhammad Othman al-Hussein, but appointed a new Inspector General and a new Commander of the Air Force. On Sunday, Al-Burhan issued another decree placing all other armed groups fighting alongside the army under his control, including former rebels in Darfur, Islamic brigades, civilians who have joined the war effort, and tribal militias. Sudanese politicians praised the decision, saying it would prevent the development of other power centers in the army, and perhaps the formation of other parallel forces in the future similar to the Rapid Support Forces. The Rapid Support Forces have their roots in the Arab militias that the army armed in the early 2000s to fight in Darfur. They were allowed to develop parallel structures and supply lines. The changes come a week after Al-Burhan met with the Senior US Advisor for African Affairs, Musadd Bolus, in Switzerland, where issues including the transition to civilian rule were discussed, according to government sources. The Rapid Support Forces made rapid gains in central Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, but the army pushed them west this year, leading to an escalation of fighting in El Fasher, Darfur.