Port Sudan, Nov 4 : Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, conducted a partial government reshuffle amid escalating conflict on Sunday, the council announced in a statement.

Al-Burhan dismissed Hussein Awad as minister of foreign affairs, appointing Ali Yousif Ahmed as his successor, according to the statement.

Graham Abdel-Qadir was removed from his post as minister of culture and information and Khalid Ali Aleisir was appointed to the role, Xinhua news agency reported.

In his capacity as commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Al-Burhan replaced Osama Hassan, minister of religious affairs and endowments, with Omer Bakhit Mohamed Adam.

The chairman also filled the long-vacant position of minister of trade and supply by appointing Omer Ahmed Mohamed Ali.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been devastated by intense conflict between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. A situation report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) issued on October 14 indicates that the fighting has claimed over 24,850 lives.

The conflict has also displaced over 14 million people, both within and outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates from the International Organization for Migration on October 29.

/IANS