Sudanese politician Khalid Omar Yousif, a leading figure in the “Sumood” (Steadfastness) alliance, has sharply criticised the latest speech by Sovereign Council head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, saying it contained “nothing surprising” and reflected a consistent pattern of siding with the Islamist movement over the broader public.
In a post on Facebook, Yousif argued that Burhan has repeatedly chosen “the wishes of the Islamic Movement over the demands of the majority of the Sudanese people,” citing his role in the violent dispersal of the sit-in at SAF headquarters, the 25 October coup, and his preference for war over a negotiated political solution. These episodes, he said, prove Burhan’s continued rejection of the path to peace and his willingness to “prolong the suffering of millions of Sudanese.”
Yousif also rejected Burhan’s denial that Islamists are present inside the military establishment, calling the claim a denial of well-known facts. He pointed out that the front rows at Burhan’s recent public event “included several figures clearly associated with the Islamist current.”
According to Yousif, Burhan had previously pledged, in meetings with international officials including U.S. envoy Musad Boulos, to take steps to remove Islamist elements from the SAF. While a few limited retirement decrees were issued, Yousif said, “their deep entrenchment inside state institutions remains intact.”
He further criticised Burhan’s political messaging about who should govern Sudan, saying it “contradicts the reality that he himself took power by force.” For ordinary Sudanese, Yousif argued, the real priority is ending the war, ensuring the safe return of displaced people to their homes, and securing basic needs. Only then, he said, “will the people choose the system of rule they want once the country regains its health.”
Yousif added that Burhan’s speech “removed any ambiguity” about his position on the initiative put forward by the Quad mechanism, which, as Yousif described it, calls for halting foreign interference, unifying the SAF in a professional, non-partisan national institution, transitioning to civilian rule, and preventing the return of the former regime. He insisted that “the only party rejecting this path is the Islamic Movement and those linked to it,” accusing Burhan of “choosing to align” with that camp while Yousif and his allies remain committed to the “December Revolution path” based on peace, freedom and justice for all Sudanese.
