"Sudanese army does not support Islamists" - Military leader

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Abel Fattah al-Burhan head of the military-led Sovereign Council rejected accusations of supporting the banned National Congress Party (NCP) and renewed his commitment to not participate in the transitional government.

Following the October 2021 coup, the ruling military authority reinstated NCP members to service, allowed the party’s voluntary organizations to operate again and restored confiscated assets and property to its leaders.

Also, fugitive NCP leaders wanted by justice for their participation in the 1989 coup reappeared without a warrant for her arrest.

Speaking to the crowd in the Kadbas area of River Nile state, al-Burhan said he is optimistic that the coming period will witness a breakthrough in the protracted political crisis pointing out that everyone senses the dangers of the stalemate.

He further rejected accusations that the armed forces were siding with Islamists and the rehabilitation of their dissolved formerly ruling party in Sudan.

“Whoever claims that the armed forces support the National Congress Party, we tell them you are liars. We support the Sudanese people,” he said

“All that we hear is bidding, deception and illusion of public opinion,” he added.

Al-Burhan statements intended to clear up strong rumours in the capital Khartoum about a recent rift between him and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo aka Hemetti over al-Burhan’s decision in favour of the Sudanese Islamists.

On October 9, Hemetti issued a short statement denying any rift between him and al-Burhan.

The commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has been blamed by the Sudanese Islamists for not protecting their regime in April 2019 when the ousted President Omer al-Bashir requested him to end protests.

Al-Burhan, on July 4, announced the army withdrawal from the political process to form a new transitional government.

In addition, he said they have no intention to participate in the new government but to form a separate military council for security and national defence with additional powers to be discussed with the new government.

However, the political allies of the military component from the former rebel groups reject any solution that excludes the army and freeze any effort to move forward in the restoration of a civilian transitional government.