Nimeiry had chosen al-Tayyib al-Mardi to oversee the support to the Chadian guerilla force led by Hissène Habré, but grew concerned that he was losing control of the situation. In January 1980, he dismissed al-Tayyib al-Mardi and appointed Diraige.
Nimeiry initially assigned al-Tayyib al-Mardi to manage support for the Chadian guerilla force led by Hissène Habré, but later became concerned about his ability to maintain control of the situation. In January 1980, he replaced al-Tayyib al-Mardi with Diraige.