A warning by senior SAF officer Yasser al Atta that he would “carry out a military coup” if civilian forces won power through elections has stirred wide controversy and raised fresh questions about the military leadership’s intentions toward democratic transition.
Atta, the third most senior figure in the SAF, is seen by analysts as working in line with Islamist networks. His statement was described by legal and political experts as a major offence that could carry penalties up to the death sentence under Sudanese criminal and military law as well as international standards.
Legal specialists interviewed by Sky News said Atta’s remarks amount to a clear declaration of intent to commit a crime against the state under Sudan’s criminal code and the Armed Forces Act. They said the comments show contempt for popular authority and constitutional legitimacy.
Lawyers involved in the 1989 coup case noted that Atta’s statement includes outright incitement to overthrow any future civilian administration. They said it reinforces long standing concerns that the SAF continues to undermine civilian transition after the 2019 fall of the Islamist regime. They added that it highlights the military’s role in fuelling the current conflict in coordination with Islamist elements to block any political settlement.
Experts pointed to articles 21, 25, 26, 50 and 65 of Sudan’s criminal code, which criminalise any action aimed at changing the system by force. They said the material element of the crime is fulfilled the moment intent is announced or preparations begin, making it necessary to prosecute Atta if there were an independent judicial system in place.
Atta’s comments strengthened the belief among many Sudanese that the SAF no longer functions as a national professional institution but has instead become a political body aligned with the directives of Islamist groups.
Analysts said Atta, one of the most loyal Islamist aligned officers in the SAF, reflects an authoritarian mindset that disregards the people’s right to choose their leaders.
They warned that his threat serves as an alarm for civilian forces, confirming that the current war is also a war against the revolution and the broader civilian project. They added that the military leadership is using state funded force to suppress citizens and target political rivals.
Several media outlets previously reported statements from senior Rapid Support Forces sources who claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood is promoting a plan executed by Atta to remove SAF chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan and other close figures such as Shams al Din al Kabashi.
The sources said the Islamists promised Atta that he would be appointed SAF chief in place of Burhan, whom they now reportedly view as a burden and responsible for repeated battlefield losses to the Rapid Support Forces.
According to these accounts, Islamist elements consider Burhan and his circle a liability inside Sudan and believe that militia groups aligned with them no longer recognise Burhan’s authority, a situation that could trigger further instability.
The sources added that parts of this plan appeared in Atta’s recent comments about “dropping the old constitutional document and replacing it with a new one and choosing an independent prime minister,” saying Atta was simply the public face of directives issued by the Islamists.
