Sudan’s army on Monday named a new military commander for troubled Blue Nile state, where recent deadly tribal clashes left over 200 people dead.
The move comes a day after eyewitnesses reported that crowds of thousands protested in front of army headquarters in the state capital Damazin, accusing the government of failing to protect them.
Army spokesman Nabil Abdallah, announcing Monday a new commander for the Blue Nile state, said the military had ordered a committee to “evaluate the security situation”.
Blue Nile, which borders South Sudan and Ethiopia, is awash with guns and is still struggling to rebuild after decades of civil war, with over 300 people killed in recent months.
Sudan has been grappling with deepening political unrest and a spiralling economic crisis since last year’s military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
On Sunday, thousands of protesters demanded the resignation of state governor Ahmed al-Omda Badi, with eyewitnesses reporting the crowd “tried to enter the army headquarters” before “setting fire to the state government building.”