Sudan primary commander says military committed to civilian rule

Sudan primary commander, Abdel Fattah Burhan, has declared that the military is dedicated to supporting a government led by civilians amidst an ongoing clash between the military and a competing paramilitary organization.

This is the first time Burhan has spoken since the fight started nearly a week ago. While the military has guaranteed a “secure transition to civilian rule” for Sudan, a large number of Sudanese are doubtful about the statement. They are still unhappy with Burhan for teaming up with his current opponent to take control in a coup that overthrew Sudan’s pro-democracy forces 18 months ago.

The violence has so far killed 413 people and wounded 3,551, including nine children, with no safe place left in the capital of Khartoum. Multiple countries are preparing to evacuate their citizens, but most airports are out of commission and movement is dangerous. Germany and Spain have air force planes ready, but it is “not possible to predict” when an evacuation can occur, according to their respective foreign ministers.

The fighting erupted after Burhan and his rival, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) chief Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, fell out over a recent internationally brokered deal with democracy activists that was meant to incorporate the RSF into the military and eventually lead to civilian rule.

The military has appeared to have the upper hand in the fighting, with its monopoly on air power. Still, it is impossible to confirm its claims of advances, while the RSF has promised to stop fighting for three days of Eid al-Fitr to allow for evacuations and safe corridors. However, there was no response from Burhan’s military.

The two generals who are competing for dominance in the extensive African country have presented themselves as advocates for democracy after rebelling against long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and driving him out of power during a popular uprising against his regime.

Countries around the world are rushing to evacuate their citizens from #Sudan as ordinary Sudanese fear continued fighting from two rival generals. A nominal cease-fire will run out the evening of Monday, April 24, though fighting has been continuous. #EvacuateSudan #CGTNAmerica pic.twitter.com/FmCe2qc18j

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) April 24, 2023

Nonetheless, they have been unsuccessful in fulfilling the terms of the agreements that stipulated they should relinquish power. They have quashed demonstrations advocating for democracy, and in 2021, they jointly conducted a coup that displaced a transitional government and cemented their positions as Sudan’s most influential leaders. Both factions have a lengthy history of violating human rights.

The Pentagon has sent some troops to a nearby base in Djibouti. During a meeting in Germany on Friday, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of Staff, spoke with defense officials from Germany, Italy, and Canada to ensure that their evacuation efforts did not interfere with each other. Despite efforts by several nations to evacuate their citizens from Sudan, ongoing violence has made it difficult to do so.

Multiple countries are preparing to move their resources to nearby countries, but there is no clear plan for when or how the evacuations will take place. Due to the destruction of most airports and the dangerous conditions, it is unclear when the situation will be resolved, and the ongoing fighting continues to have a severe impact on the people of Sudan.