Gayton McKenzie accused of not understanding fashion industry after his meeting with Shein
Fashion designer David Tlale said he doesn’t think Gayton McKenzie understands the complexities of the clothing and textile industry.
Attacks that killed hundreds of civilians earlier this month have shifted attention to the battle for this part of the country.
"Whoever controls Kordofan effectively controls the country's oil supply, as well as a huge chunk of Sudan," Amir Amin, an analyst with risk consultancy Oasis Policy Advisory, told the BBC.
The region is also vital for landlocked South Sudan, as its oil flows through pipelines in Kordofan, before being exported. So, it has a vested interest in Kordofan's stability.
However, the battle for the region - which is made up of three states, with a population of close to eight million - has intensified since June, when the army focused on regaining the territory from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after it made significant gains in the preceding three months, recapturing the capital, Khartoum, and neighboring Gezira state, the agricultural hub of Sudan.
Sudan's military leader Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan flew into Khartoum's main airport on 20 July, his second visit to the city since his troops drove out RSF fighters in March.
Gen Burhan remains based in the eastern city of Port Sudan, suggesting that he is still not confident to return permanently to Khartoum, now a burnt-out wreck.
