Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has revealed new details about disputes within the military establishment during the rule of former president Omar al-Bashir, saying Bashir rejected a proposal to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the armed forces.
Speaking to journalists at the army’s General Command on Thursday, Burhan said senior officers had presented Bashir with what he described as a comprehensive plan to absorb the RSF into the Sudanese Armed Forces.
“We went to Omar al-Bashir with a complete plan to integrate the Rapid Support Forces, but he rejected it,” Burhan said.
Burhan, who was serving as commander of Sudan’s ground forces at the time, claimed the former government had instead been moving towards restructuring the military in a way that would have weakened the regular army and elevated the RSF.
According to Burhan, the plan pursued during Bashir’s rule went beyond integrating the RSF and amounted to “dismantling the army and merging it into the Rapid Support Forces.”
He said he had opposed the proposal at the time.
Burhan also ruled out any future role for the RSF in the Sudanese state and reiterated the army’s adherence to its interpretation of the Jeddah agreement.
On relations with Washington, Burhan said Sudanese authorities had invited US officials to visit the country and assess developments on the ground, but that the invitation had so far received no response.
He renewed the invitation for American officials to travel to Sudan.
Addressing international pressure over arms supplies, Burhan said he did not believe a proposed arms embargo would pass at the UN Security Council.
He added that the army was prepared for any possible developments and claimed that such restrictions would not affect its battlefield position.
Burhan also gave his account of how he left the army’s General Command complex during the early stages of the war, rejecting reports that he had been hiding in an underground bunker.
“There was no basement. I was in the guest house, and the enemy was only 20 metres away from me,” he said.
Burhan said he later left the area aboard a helicopter that landed in front of the General Command following what he described as a successful diversion operation.
He dismissed alternative versions of the incident as false.
Turning to Sudan’s political process, Burhan said his administration supported the outcomes of the proposed national dialogue, provided they did not conflict with what he described as the interests of the Sudanese people.
He also called for political grievances to be overcome and promoted reconciliation, saying forgiveness was a longstanding Sudanese tradition.
Burhan said political and civilian groups would participate in the dialogue but that armed factions would not be included.
He insisted that no group would be allowed to convert military power into political gains once the war ends.
“We will not allow any faction to achieve political gains through weapons, and there will be no militia inside the state after the war,” Burhan said.
