Sudan's military leader reportedly fires senior intelligence officers

Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan has overhauled top intelligence positions a week after he stuck a deal to reinstate the ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Burhan dismissed at least eight general intelligence officers and replaced the head of military intelligence, Reuters reported on Sunday, quoting two official sources.

Of the officers dismissed, five were in senior positions and had been in place since before the 2019 overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al Bashir, the sources said. 

It was not immediately clear what impact the decisions could have on the balance of power following return of Hamdok, who had been placed under house arrest in an Oct 25 coup.

READ MORE: Sudan PM Hamdok dismisses police chiefs after protest violence

Hamdok replaced the country's top two police officials on Saturday, following deadly violence against anti-military protesters in recent weeks.

Before the coup, the military had been sharing power with civilian groups that took part in an uprising against Bashir. Many within those groups have opposed the deal between Burhan and Hamdok, saying they want the army to exit politics.

One condition of the deal to reinstate Hamdok was that political prisoners arrested since the coup should be freed. 

Some have been released but others remain in detention.

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