Sudan’s army leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has announced a cabinet reshuffle that includes the replacement of four ministers, notably those overseeing foreign affairs and media, amid ongoing conflict with paramilitary forces.

The announcement, made late Sunday, comes as Sudan faces the world’s worst displacement crisis, compounded by famine and an urgent need for aid, according to the UN.

In a post on its official Facebook page, Sudan’s ruling sovereignty council stated that Burhan had approved the replacements for the ministers of foreign affairs, media, religious affairs, and trade.

The civil war, which erupted in April 2023, pits Burhan’s military against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Since the conflict began, the army-aligned government has been operating from Port Sudan, an eastern city largely insulated from the violence. However, economist Haitham Fathy noted earlier this year that the Sudanese state “is completely absent from the scene” across all sectors.

The council did not provide reasons for the reshuffle, but it coincides with escalating violence in al-Jazira, south of the capital Khartoum, and in North Darfur, which borders Chad.

On Friday, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the RSF’s attacks in al-Jazira, echoing similar concerns from the United States regarding violence against civilians.

Among the key changes, Ambassador Ali Youssef al-Sharif, a retired diplomat with previous postings as Sudan’s ambassador to China and South Africa, was appointed foreign minister, replacing Hussein Awad Ali, who held the position for seven months.

Khalid Ali Aleisir, a journalist and TV presenter based in London, was named minister of culture and media. The reshuffle also includes Omar Banfir as the new trade minister and Omar Bakhit as the minister of religious affairs.

In recent weeks, the RSF has intensified attacks on civilians in al-Jazira, particularly after reports of a defection by an RSF commander. According to an AFP tally based on medical and activist sources, at least 200 people were killed in al-Jazira last month, with the UN reporting that around 120,000 individuals have been displaced due to the violence.

Overall, Sudan now hosts over 11 million displaced people, while another 3.1 million are sheltering outside its borders, according to the International Organization for Migration.