Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf (born ; ar, أحمد عوض بن عوف ) is a

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

ese politician and

Sudanese Army The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF; ar, القوات المسلحة السودانية, Al-Quwwat al-Musallaha as-Sudaniyah) are the military forces of the Republic of the Sudan. In 2011, IISS estimated the regular forces' numbers at personnel, whil ...

General who served as the ''de facto''

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

for one day from 11 April 2019 to 12 April 2019 after taking part in the

2019 Sudanese coup d'état The 2019 Sudanese coup d'état took place on the late afternoon of 11 April 2019, when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by the Sudanese army after popular protests demanded his departure. At that time, the army, led by Ahmed Awa ...

. Auf previously served as the minister of defense in Sudan from 23 August 2015 to 14 April 2019, and the First Vice President of Sudan from February to April 2019.

Military and governmental career

Auf previously served as Head of

Military Intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

, and also Chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

before he was relieved in June 2010 as part of a major military shakeup. Following his

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

service, he served as the Sudanese

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. Auf was on a May 2007 list of individuals sanctioned by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

due to his alleged role as a liaison between the

Sudanese government Currently, the politics of Sudan takes place in the framework of a federal provisional government. Previously, a ''president'' was head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces in a ''de jure'' multi-par ...

and the

Janjaweed The Janjaweed ( ar, جنجويد, Janjawīd, lit=mounted gunman; also transliterated ''Janjawid'') are a Sudanese Arab militia group that operate in Sudan, particularly Darfur, and eastern Chad. Using the United Nations definition, the Janjaweed ...

in the

Darfur War The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups beg ...

and his close relations to Iran. There are credible allegations that Auf coordinated janjaweed operations leading to bombing attacks by

Antonov Antonov State Enterprise ( uk, Державне підприємство «Антонов»), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (Antonov ASTC) ( uk, Авіаційний науково-технічни� ...

aircraft on civilians, villages attacked, forced displacement, and mass rape (Tawila,

North Darfur North Darfur State ( ar, ولاية شمال دارفور Wilāyat Šamāl Dārfūr; ''Shamal Darfor'') is one of the wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states composing the Darfur region. It has an area of 296,420 km2 and a ...

). However, Auf is not among those who have been indicted by the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...

for crimes committed in Darfur. On 23 August 2015, he was appointed as

Defense Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

of Sudan by President Omar al-Bashir.

Vice president

Auf was appointed first vice president in February 2019, replacing

Bakri Hassan Saleh Bakri Hassan Saleh ( ar, بكري حسن صالح) is a Sudanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Sudan from March 2017 until September 2018 (the first in almost 28 years) and as First Vice President of Sudan from December 2013 until Fe ...

following President Bashir's dismissal of his cabinet in the wake of mass protests.

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. He declared closure of Sudan's airspace for 24 hours, closure of border crossings, and a three-month state of emergency. The

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

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

. As his final act Auf made Lt. Gen.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan ( ar, عبد الفتاح عبد الرحمن البرهان, Abd al-FattāḥʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Burhān; born 11 July 1960) is a Sudanese politician and Sudanese Army general who is the ''de facto'' head ...

, who serves as general inspector of the armed forces, his successor.

References

1950s births People of the Sudanese Revolution Sudanese lieutenant generals Vice presidents of Sudan Defense ministers of Sudan Ambassadors of Sudan to Oman Year of birth uncertain Living people {{Sudan-politician-stub