Sudan's army chief and de facto ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan on Thursday named his second-in-command Gen Yasser Al Atta as his chief of staff, a statement said.
Gen Al Atta is widely known to be sympathetic towards the cause of Islamists loyal to the regime of former dictator Omar Al Bashir, overthrown in 2019 by his generals amid a popular uprising.
He is also known to have been a keen supporter of fighters who served in Islamist militias loyal to Al Bashir who have joined the army in its war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
His appointment as army chief of staff on Thursday was part of the biggest shake-up in the higher ranks of the armed forces since the war against the RSF started nearly three years ago.
The changes involve five appointments to top army positions, including military intelligence, operations and training. They also included five promotions to the rank of full general and the promotion and subsequent retirement of five others.
The statement gave no explanation for the changes and it was not immediately clear whether they signal the adoption of a new strategy in the war.
The statement said Gen Al Atta, whose army career spans four decades, succeeded Gen Othman Al Hussein.
The appointment of Gen Al Atta follows last month's decision by the US to designate the Muslim Brotherhood - the umbrella group for Sudan's Islamist groups, including Al Bashir's National Conference party - a terrorist organisation.
Islamists in Sudan are known to be behind Gen Al Burhan's repeated rejection of mediation bids by regional and international powers to end the war, with analysts speculating they want the conflict to end only when they are ready to take back power.
The war in Sudan has devastated the impoverished yet resource-rich nation, killing tens of thousands, displacing at least 12 million and leaving half the population - or about 25 million - facing hunger.
It is seen as a struggle for domination between Gen Al Burhan and his one-time ally and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
Al Shafie Ahmed contributed to this report from Kampala, Uganda.
