Prime Minister Dismisses Religious Affairs Minister Amid Hajj Oversight Dispute

Khartoum, August 6, 2026 - Prime Minister Kamil Idris dismissed Religious Affairs Minister Bashir Haroun Abdel Karim following allegations of administrative disputes and financial irregularities linked to Sudan's pilgrimage oversight system. Idris also ended the assignment of Omer Mustafa Ali as secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Hajj and Umrah, the body responsible for coordinating pilgrimage arrangements with Saudi authorities.

The cabinet directed relevant ministries, including finance and human resources, to implement the decisions. The move follows escalating friction between Haroun and the council over jurisdiction and internal oversight. Haroun, who leads a Sudan Liberation Movement faction that signed the Juba Peace Agreement, had previously alleged financial and administrative violations inside the agency.

The dismissals point to continuing tensions inside Sudan's wartime governing structure, where peace agreement factions, technocratic institutions and cabinet authorities compete for influence over state agencies and external-facing religious administration.