Sudanese army ready for negotiations to restore unity: Burhan

Sudan Sovereignty Council Leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan has said that the army is ready for talks to “end the war and restore Sudan’s unity and dignity.”

Speaking in Atbara of northern Sudan on Saturday, while offering condolences to the family of army officer Muzammil Abdullah, who was recently killed in fighting in Al Fasher, he said no talks are currently underway with the Quartet (US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates) or any other party.

Burhan stressed that the armed forces “will keep fighting the enemy wherever it is found” and denied targeting tribes or regions.

Long-running war

He said those who genuinely seek peace are welcome, but “imposing peace or a government on the people against their will is unacceptable.”

His remarks came ahead of planned Quartet meetings in New York to push for a peaceful solution to the war in Sudan.

The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since April 2023, which has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities.

In July, the Sudanese Founding Alliance, a coalition led by the paramilitary RSF, announced the formation of a parallel government led by RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, which the army strongly condemned and rejected.