Power struggle shakes Sudan’s army-aligned government

KHARTOUM – A fresh power struggle is reportedly erupting within Sudan’s army-aligned government, as Prime Minister Kamil Idris confronts Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim in a dispute that lays bare deep structural tensions within the state.

The standoff was triggered by a controversial decision to dismiss Undersecretary of Planning at the Ministry of Finance Mohammed Bashar and abolish the ministry’s Planning Agency, moves that go far beyond routine administrative reshuffles and instead reflect a broader battle over authority, resources and political influence.

According to local reports, the dispute has been building for some time, fuelled by allegations of major corruption within the Sudanese Company for Free Zones and Duty Free Shops, a key revenue-generating body previously overseen by Bashar in his official capacity. His removal is widely seen as carrying significant regulatory and legal implications, particularly as the institution represents an important financial artery for the state.

Prime Minister Kamil Idris escalated the confrontation by launching a formal investigation and appointing a committee led by customs chief Lieutenant General Salah al-Sheikh, a move interpreted in political circles as a counteroffensive aimed at reasserting control over revenue institutions and curbing unchecked centres of influence.

At the heart of the crisis lies a fundamental divergence: while Idris seeks to overhaul the administrative apparatus and impose tighter central oversight, Ibrahim views the moves as a direct challenge to his political and institutional authority within one of Sudan’s most powerful ministries.

Observers say the prime minister’s actions are unlikely to have proceeded without the backing of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who recently initiated a sweeping restructuring of the military’s general command, in what is widely seen as an effort to rebalance power within key decision-making centres, including the executive branch, and to curb the influence of armed movements within the ruling coalition.

Jibril Ibrahim, leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, has served as finance minister since 2021 under a power-sharing arrangement born out of peace agreements. His tenure has been dogged by accusations from rivals that he has sought to consolidate control over Sudan’s financial resources to serve his movement’s political base. His reported refusal to immediately implement Bashar’s dismissal, and his instruction for the official to remain in post, was seen not merely as a defence of a civil servant, but as an attempt to protect what he regards as hard-won political concessions within the power-sharing framework.

The confrontation has since broadened beyond personnel changes to encompass structural reforms within the Finance Ministry itself. In a particularly significant move, Idris ordered the abolition of the Planning Agency and its integration into the General Secretariat of the National Strategic Planning Council under the cabinet.

In practical terms, this shifts the core of economic decision-making and development planning away from the Finance Ministry and places it under the direct authority of the prime minister’s office, effectively stripping the ministry of one of its most critical tools of influence.

Analysts interpret this as a deliberate attempt to end what is seen as the ministry’s “excessive autonomy” and to centralise economic policy away from the sway of the Justice and Equality Movement, tightening executive control over strategic planning and resource allocation.

The public nature of the dispute suggests relations between the two sides have reached a critical point, raising serious questions about the government’s cohesion at a time of acute national fragility. The crisis also casts a shadow over the relationship between the military establishment and its armed movement allies, exposing the delicate balance underpinning Sudan’s current political order.

The key question now is whether the prime minister can press ahead with his efforts to impose administrative and regulatory authority in the face of resistance from a minister backed by both political leverage and armed power. As tensions escalate, the outcome of this confrontation may prove decisive in shaping the future distribution of power within the Sudanese state, and its ability to navigate an already volatile political landscape.