Less than a year after SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan declared in April 2025 that “there is no glory in satak” — a dismissive reference to the popular uprising that overthrew the Islamist regime in 2019 — Burhan has now reversed course, attempting to court the very youth who led that revolution.
Speaking on Thursday at an event in Omdurman, northwest of Khartoum, Burhan praised the young people who drove the December 2019 uprising, claiming they are capable of restoring security and stability to Sudan. He also said they would be represented in a planned legislative council currently under preparation.
The term “satak” refers to burning tyres used by protesters during the December Revolution to block roads and shield themselves from attacks by security forces. At the time, Burhan’s remarks dismissing the symbol were widely seen as an insult to the revolutionary movement.
His latest outreach comes amid mounting accusations that he is seeking political legitimacy to counter growing international pressure, with widespread scepticism over whether Sudan’s revolutionary youth could be persuaded by what critics describe as opportunistic rhetoric.
Amna Youssef, a youth activist who helped organise the December 2018–2019 protest marches, rejected Burhan’s overtures outright.
“The youth who overthrew the Islamist regime — which Burhan later brought back to the political scene — did not take to the streets for seats in a legislative council or a share of power,” she said. “They rose up for a homeland based on freedom, justice and dignity.”
A Barrier That Cannot Be Erased
Sharif Mohamed Osman, political secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party — one of the key forces of the revolution — said the massacre of protesters during the dispersal of the sit-in outside SAF headquarters on June 3, 2019, remains an insurmountable barrier between Burhan and the Sudanese street.
He added that subsequent killings of protesters during demonstrations opposing Burhan’s October 2021 coup have only deepened the rupture.
In comments to Sky News Arabia, legal expert and lawyer Moaz Hadra said Burhan’s fear of serious legal consequences for these crimes has driven him to systematically undermine democratic transition efforts.
“Hundreds of the same young people Burhan is now trying to invoke were killed as a result of his actions,” Hadra said. “His recent statements are an attempt to obscure his cooperation with Islamist networks to crush the very revolution they led.”
Hadra stressed that the facts surrounding the crimes committed against protesters are well documented and require little effort to prove.
“There are dozens of material pieces of evidence and clear legal texts that establish the responsibility of the army commander for these crimes,” he said.
“These atrocities will remain a permanent obstacle for Burhan,” Hadra added. “No speech or political manoeuvre can erase them from the collective memory of Sudanese people. They are among the most brutal and bloody crimes.”
