Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir sacked Central Bank Governor Mohamed al-Zubair, a statement said on Wednesday, as the presidency pushes on with top level changes in his administration to quell nationwide protests. Bashir appointed Zubairs deputy Hussein Yehia Janqool to replace him, the presidential statement said without providing further details. Janqool has worked with the Central Bank since 1982. The change comes as the Bank grapples with an acute shortage of foreign currency, a key factor in triggering nationwide protests against Bashir’s rule stretching back three decades. Bashir has launched sweeping changes in face of the protests, including imposing a year-long state of emergency across the country and dissolving the federal and provincial governments. He has also handed over his own powers as the chief of the ruling National Congress Party to his deputy in the party, Ahmed Harun. Deadly protests erupted in December after a government decision to triple the price of bread but they swiftly mushroomed into nationwide demonstrations against Bashirs rule. The Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), which has been the main organizer of the protests, has called for more rallies on Thursday. Parliament is set to convene for a special meeting to approve Bashirs emergency decree. According to Sudanese law, if parliament does not give its approval within two weeks of the declaration, the decision is void.