Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf

Lt. Gen. Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf (born c. 1956;[4] Arabic: أحمد عوض بن عوف‎‎) is a Sudanese politician and Sudanese Army lieutenant general who served as the de facto Head of State for one day[5] from 11 April 2019 to 12 April 2019 after taking part in the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état.[6] Auf previously served as the Minister of Defense in Sudan from 23 August 2015[7] to 14 April 2019,[8] and the First Vice President of Sudan from February to April 2019.[9]

Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf
أحمد عوض بن عوف‎
Chairman of the Transitional Military Council
In office
11 April 2019 – 12 April 2019
DeputyKamal Abdel-Marouf al-Mahi[1]
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAbdel Fattah al-Burhan
First Vice President of Sudan
In office
23 February 2019 – 12 April 2019
PresidentOmar al-Bashir
Preceded byBakri Hassan Saleh
Minister for Defense of Sudan
In office
23 August 2015[2] – 14 April 2019[3]
PresidentOmar al-Bashir
Himself
Preceded byMustafa Osman Obeid
Succeeded byJamal Aldin Omar
Personal details
Born1956 (age 63–64)
Political partyNational Congress (Until April 2019)
Military service
Allegiance Sudan
Branch/service Sudanese Army
Rank Lieutenant General
Battles/warsWar in Darfur
2019 Sudanese coup d'état

Military and governmental career

Auf previously served as Head of Military Intelligence, and also Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before he was relieved in June 2010 as part of a major military shakeup.[10] Following his military service, he served as the Sudanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Auf was on a May 2007 list of individuals sanctioned by the United States due to his alleged role as a liaison between the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed in the Darfur War and his close relations to Iran.[11] There are credible allegations that Auf coordinated janjaweed operations leading to bombing attacks by Antonov aircraft on civilians, villages attacked, forced displacement, and mass rape (Tawila, North Darfur).[12] However, Auf is not among those who have been indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes committed in Darfur.[13]

On 23 August 2015, he was appointed as Defense Minister of Sudan by President Omar al-Bashir.[2]

Vice President

Auf was appointed First Vice President in February 2019, replacing Bakri Hassan Saleh following President Bashir's dismissal of his cabinet in the wake of mass protests.[9]

Coup

On 11 April 2019, he announced on Sudanese national television that the government had been dissolved and the constitution suspended. He said the military would be in charge, with a 10pm curfew and a two-year transition period.[6] He declared closure of Sudan's airspace for 24 hours, closure of border crossings, and a three-month state of emergency. The National Assembly was dissolved, with Auf adding that Sudan was preparing for "free and fair" elections. He resigned the next day due to continued protests which stemmed from the fact that many people considered him a leading figure from the previous government, this was further aggravated by his decision not to extradite al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court.[14][15] As his final act Auf made Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who serves as general inspector of the armed forces, his successor.[15][16][17][18]

References
  1. "Hamdan Dagalo Appointed as Deputy Head of Sudan's Transitional Military Council". 7dnews.com.
  2. "Sudan appoints new defence minister". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  3. "Sudan military vows to reform intelligence service amid protests". Aljazeera. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  4. "Cable: 08STATE61842_a". wikileaks.org. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  5. "Sudan military coup topples Bashir". BBC News. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  6. Goldstein, Joseph; Walsh, Declan (11 April 2019). "Omar Hassan al-Bashir Is Removed as Sudan's President". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  7. Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Sudan's Bashir appoints new defence minister -state news agency". news.trust.org.
  8. "Sudan's military council removes defense minister, names new..." 14 April 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
  9. AfricaNews (11 April 2019). "Sudan protest hub: Bashir ousted, military outlines next steps". Africanews. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  10. "Sudan retires general sanctioned over Darfur". Reuters UK. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  11. "Bashir appoints U.S. sanctioned general as new defence minister". sudantribune.com. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  12. Reeves, Eric (24 February 2019). "#Sudan #SudanUprising Al-Bashir has appointed as his Vice President General/ Defence Minister Awad Ibn Ouf, a deeply ominous sign for many reasons. The removal of former VP Bakri Saleh may well be the removal of a potential rival and successor.pic.twitter.com/oZ1cghOZke". @sudanreeves. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  13. "Darfur, Sudan". www.icc-cpi.int.
  14. "Sudan's Ibn Auf steps down as head of military council". www.aljazeera.com.
  15. "Head of Sudan military council steps down one day after long-time leader Bashir toppled in coup". euronews. 12 April 2019.
  16. "The Latest: Sudan's post-coup transitional leader steps down". SFGate. 12 April 2019.
  17. "Sudan's de facto military leader steps down – DW – 12.04.2019". DW.COM.
  18. "Sudan defense minister steps down as head of transitional military council". english.alarabiya.net.
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