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Sudan’s Bashir Tightens Grip On Army By Appointing Ally

Sudan’s Bashir Tightens Grip On Army By Appointing Ally

From Reuters

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s appointment of an old military ally as his deputy may shield one of Africa’s longest-serving rulers from risks at home and abroad.

In a government shake-up, Bashir named Lieutenant General Bakri Hassan Saleh – a confidant who helped him stage his 1989 coup and crush many rebellions – as first vice president, replacing veteran politician Ali Osman Taha.

By positioning Saleh one step away from his own job, Bashir may be crafting a strategy to avoid being handed over to the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide if he keeps his promise to step down in 2015.

The reshuffle announced on Sunday by Bashir underscores the diminishing role of Islamists such as Taha as the president turns to more trusted allies in the military, an organization important to his survival in a country with a history of coups.

“(Saleh) is a political clone of Bashir, and his appointment consolidates the military at the heart of politics,” Alex de Waal, a Sudan expert and head of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University in the United States.

“This is Bashir’s protection plan and signals that (he) may be ready to step aside if (Saleh) is his successor.”

While Sudan has avoided sustained political unrest seen in other Arab states over the last three years, Bashir and his ruling cadre have been on more fragile ground since the oil-rich south of Sudan broke away in 2011 after voting for independence, depriving the north of badly-needed revenues.

Facing rivals within his own ruling National Congress Party, Bashir’s government has struggled to cope with a tanking economy and rising inflation since the South’s secession.

Aside from still-simmering revolts near the border with South Sudan and an unresolved conflict in the western Darfur region, Bashir has recently faced troubles close to home.

Written by Khalid Abdel Aziz And Maggie Fick | Read more at Reuters