A senior Sudanese general has revealed that the country’s military ruler, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has expressed a willingness, and even eagerness, to step down from power.
In an interview with army-run Sudan TV last week, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta shared details of a recent conversation with Al-Burhan, in which the latter allegedly expressed a desire to hand over power to Shams Al-Din Kabbashi, his deputy.
“Just three or four days ago, I was speaking with Al-Burhan on the phone, and he told me, ‘I’ve reached my limit. You and [Lieutenant General] Kabbashi should come to an agreement so we can transfer power to him.’ I refused and urged Al-Burhan to stay in power until the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are defeated,” Al-Atta recounted.
The revelation suggests potential discussions of leadership changes within Sudan’s ruling military junta, particularly after a series of setbacks on the battlefield against the RSF.
The political and army elites in Sudan, along with the general public, are divided over proposed ceasefire talks in Switzerland.
Some factions favor participation, while others reject any negotiations with the RSF, a powerful group that rebelled against al-Burhan’s dictatorship last year.
Al-Atta, who serves as the military’s assistant commander-in-chief, is a prominent and controversial figure within the junta, known as the Transitional Sovereignty Council.
He works alongside Lieutenant General Ibrahim Jaber, among others, who wields significant influence behind the scenes.
Al-Atta’s comments come in the wake of an alleged assassination attempt on Al-Burhan, which army has blamed on the RSF, despite serious doubts about the group’s capacity to carry out such an attack in the region where it occurred.
Last Monday, Al-Burhan received a call from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who emphasized the importance of the SAF participating in ceasefire talks in Switzerland.
The U.S. has offered to mediate the talks. In response, Al-Burhan stressed that his concerns must be addressed before negotiations can proceed, according to a rare post on his official account on X (formerly Twitter).
Succession in SAF
If Al-Atta’s account is accurate, it indicates that Al-Burhan does not see Malik Agar as a viable successor. Agar, who was appointed deputy chairman of the Sovereignty Council last year, replaced the RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in the role.
Although Agar often acts as Sudan’s vice president in protocol terms, his background as a former rebel leader and head of a secular political party makes him an unlikely candidate to lead a military regime deeply influenced by political Islam and long associated with Omar Al-Bashir’s Islamist government.
Instead, the succession might pass to another military figure, such as Shams Al-Din Kabbashi or another member of the Sovereignty Council.
If Kabbashi were to take over, he would become Sudan’s first ethnic Nuba leader, hailing from South Kordofan, a region captured by SPLM-North last year.
Kabbashi is considered a more competent military leader than Al-Burhan, but his minority status could limit his influence over the military and national security services, both of which have strong ties to Sudan’s former ruling party and the Islamist political movement based in the country’s north and east.
Kabbashi has experience in complex negotiations, having represented the military in talks with political parties, protest leaders, and trade unions following the ouster of al-Bashir in 2019.
He also led the SAF delegation in recent talks with the SPLM-North rebel group, although these negotiations ultimately broke down.
Al-Atta’s commitment to war and death
Al-Atta’s remarks appear aimed at portraying the Sudanese military as uninterested in holding onto power after the current conflict ends.
He claims that the military’s sole objective is to defeat the RSF and then transfer power to a civilian administration.
“We do not seek to rule—neither myself, Al-Burhan, nor any member of the Sovereignty Council. We dream of the day when Sudan is safe and stable so we can hand over the trust,” Al-Atta declared.
Al-Atta has previously stated that the war could last 100 years and that the military should never negotiate.
In his Saturday interview, he reiterated his opposition to negotiations, asserting, “The view and decision of Al-Burhan, the Sovereignty Council, the government, and the people is to continue the war and win it, or the [RSF] surrender.”
He also falsely claimed the RSF has been weakened and boasted that the SAF has recently been bolstered by significant new arms supplies, vowing to continue the war until the RSF is completely eliminated or surrenders.
Criticism from anti-war leaders
Khalid Omar Yusuf, a Sudanese Congress Party politician and leading member of the anti-war Taqaddum Coalition, issued a sharp rebuke to Al-Atta following the general’s interview.
Yusuf, a former cabinet minister, criticized Al-Atta’s comments as “comedic,” considering the tragic reality of the ongoing war.
Yusuf mocked Al-Atta for his shifting predictions about the war’s duration and accused the military leaders of pursuing a “nihilistic path” that only leads to more destruction and suffering.
He contrasted the current military government’s incompetence and corruption with the record of the civilian-led government that briefly ruled Sudan before the 2021 coup, highlighting achievements like internal peace, debt forgiveness, and improved foreign relations.
