Al-Burhan attacks IGAD and AU, rejects peace deal that reinstates RSF

DAMAZIN, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The leader of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, General Abdelfattah al-Burhan, has attacked the regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the African Union (AU), saying he will not accept any peace deal that reinstates the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The embattled Sudanese leader made the remarks during statements to members of the army’s fourth infantry division in Damazin where he reiterated his commitment to peace in Sudan and ruled out return to the pre-war era.

“We do not reject peace, and the evidence for that is our acceptance of many initiatives, including the Jeddah platform, and it is not acceptable for a peace that takes us back to before April 15,” the Sudanese military leader told hundreds of soldiers in Damazin.

Al-Burhan claimed that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development has deviated from its course and warned the African Union against interfering in the Sudanese affairs saying the RSF has gone for good and will not return.

“If IGAD deviates from its course, we as Sudanese are able to solve our problems without needing anyone,” Al-Burhan said.

“For everyone who supports the dissolved Rapid Support Militia, it has gone irretrievably, and with the African Union, our vision of it is clear that it is not permitted to interfere in our internal affairs in an unacceptable manner,” he added.

He further praised his deputy Malik Agar, the leader of the SPLM North Agar faction who has joined him for peace and called on others such as Abdel Aziz Adam Al-Hilu and Joseph Touka to follow suit.

“We salute the brothers who responded to the call for peace, led by Malik Agar, for choosing the security and safety of the country, and we renew the call to Abdel Aziz Al-Helou and Joseph Touka to join the peace process, and the reaction they witnessed to their attacks are clear messages,” he said.

He said that the army had “directed to absorb all those who surrendered and joined the militia, and their situation will be addressed.”

The conflict broke out when the RSF attacked Sudanese army and government positions in Khartoum and Merowe on April 15, 2023.

The fighting which has escalated into a full-blown war and has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions from the war-ravaged capital Khartoum and states especially in the already restive Darfur region.

The RSF is a paramilitary force that was formed in 2013 to fight the rebel groups in Darfur. The force is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who was al-Burhan’s close ally until the outbreak of the conflict in April.