Bakri Hassan Saleh was appointed to the post by President Omar al-Bashir
Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to
ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it.
, according to Mahmoud, who spoke at a news conference. "Saleh will also continue his duty as the president's first assistant" and form a Cabinet while consulting with partners who attended a national dialog process, Mahmoud said.
Al-Bashir eliminated the post of prime minister when he came to power in 1989 following a bloodless coup.
But late last year, the president proposed constitutional reforms that included the appointment of a prime minister.
Al-Bashir launched a national dialogue in 2015 in an attempt to end insurgencies in Sudan’s border regions but last October the talks were boycotted by the main opposition parties.