Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir reshuffled his Cabinet on Monday, allowing members of a faction that split from a key opposition party to join his government. The official Sudan News Agency said el-Bashir issued a decree appointing Mubarak el-Fadel el-Mahdi as his assistant and Ali Hassan Taj Eddin to presidential adviser for African affairs.

El-Mahdi and Taj Eddin had been senior officials within the Umma party, a leading opposition movement in Sudan, a country that has been racked by 19 years of civil war and political upheaval.

In July, el-Mahdi led a split from the Umma party, which is run by his cousin and former Sudanese prime minister, Sadiq el-Mahdi. Umma party members loyal to Sadiq el-Mahdi fired all those who joined the breakaway faction and accused the government of engineering the rift.

El-Bashir also appointed four new ministers and three state ministers, all members from Mubarak el-Mahdi's breakaway party, the agency said.

El-Zahawi Ibrahim Malik was appointed Information and Communications Minister; Ahmed Babakr became Education Minister; Abdel-Jalil el-Basha took the Minister of Tourism and National Heritage post and Yusuf Suleiman became International Cooperation Minister.

Three new state ministers joined the Cabinet - El-Nagib el-Kheir for foreign affairs, el-Fatih Said for agriculture and Ahmed Aqeel for finance.

Former Education Minister Ali Tamim Fartak became Electricity Minister, a newly established portfolio. Former International Cooperation Minister Karam Eddin Abdel-Mawla was appointed minister in charge of the prime minister's office. Former Information minister Mahdi Mohammed Ibrahim lost his portfolio.

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Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir reshuffled his Cabinet on Monday, allowing members of a faction that split from a key opposition party to join his government.