General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander leading the SAF against the RSF, has been positioning himself as Sudan’s leader since 2019.
But who is he?
We take a look at the man blocking the Sudan peace process.
First of all, let’s clarify the issue of leadership.
Is Burhan a person who stood for election and was elected by the Sudanese people? No, he is not.
So, what did he do? He took advantage of the people’s revolt against the cost of living and the anti-democratic practices of the government to occupy that seat.
He is a coup plotter who lent Sudan’s resources to foreign countries in order to keep his seat.
Now, let’s get into the details.
Al-Burhan was born in 1960 in the village of Gandatu, north of Khartoum, he studied at a Sudanese military academy and furthered his education in Egypt and Jordan.
During his lengthy military career under Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Burhan ascended to prominent roles while staying relatively unknown.
He led the country’s ground forces before Bashir appointed him inspector general of the army in February 2019, just two months before the military ousted Bashir from power.
Early 2000’s Sudan
Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo disagreed over the non-implementation of the “Transitional Protocol” signed by all parties to determine Sudan’s future.
In a prior interview RSF leader reflected on his evolution from a “merchant” to a member of the Border Guard Forces during the Darfur conflict.
It was in this period, under al-Burhan’s command, that their paths first crossed in Darfur.
Dagalo was part of the Border Guard Forces, which later became the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Al-Burhan served as a regional army commander in Darfur’s Nierteti during the conflict from 2003 to 2008, which resulted in 300,000 deaths and displacement of 2.7 million people under his leadership.
While dictator Omar al-Bashir and other senior regime officials have been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court for their roles in the Darfur conflict, al-Burhan has not faced such charges.
Over the years, al-Burhan has sought to distance himself from the atrocities committed during the conflict, in which the army directly under his command played significant roles.
Bashir era ends
When protests against the Bashir regime erupted, the RSF was asked to suppress the demonstrations. But in response to Bashir’s and the army’s order to “disperse civilian demonstrators,” Dagalo said, “I will not attack the sons of our people, the civilian demonstrators.”
Dagalo also stated, “I will not kill the sons of our people, whatever the consequences,” and left Bashir’s command.
Dagalo’s forces nearly seized control of Khartoum and played a crucial role in the ousting of dictator Omar al-Bashir. This led to the brief tenure of Lt. Gen. Awad Ibn Auf, who resigned under intense public pressure after just one day in office.
Subsequently, al-Burhan was appointed to lead the transitional military council, with Dagalo serving as his deputy.
Al-Burhan shows true colors
Military sources have disclosed that the relationship between the two men soured late 2019 during the killing of protestors at the General Command sit-in.
Dagalo felt unfairly implicated due to the presence of RSF-uniformed soldiers, leading to tension between the two men.
RSF leader had previously expressed concerns about being associated with the dispersal and attributed this to elements within the army and security forces connected to the remnants of the Bashir regime.
More disputes emerged within the Transitional Sovereignty Council, straining their relationship even further.
On October 25, 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Sudanese military orchestrated a coup, taking control of the civilian-led Sudanese government.
Shortly after the coup, Dagalo felt he was being drawn into a new trap, according to his brother, Abdul Rahim Dagalo, the RSF’s second-in-command.
Dagalo explained that they realized early on that the coup had failed, which allowed the remnants of the Bashir regime to regain influence.
RSF leader distanced himself from the coup almost from the start. His deputy made an attempt to reinstate Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok in November 2021, but al-Burhan persisted with the coup despite failing to establish a government as promised.
Hamdok’s attempted return was rejected by political circles and the “Forces of Freedom and Change” (FFC) alliance, leading to his resignation.
Al-Burhan admitted his coup attempt had failed in December 2022 and signed an agreement with the civilian FFC alliance to restore civilian rule, unify the army, and keep the military out of politics.
However, disagreements soon arose over the timeline for merging the RSF into the army and who would lead the unified forces during the transition.
On April 15, 2023, fighting erupted in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, as the intensifying power struggle between al-Burhan’s military and RSF erupted into deadly conflict.
Real Burhan
The ongoing conflict can be seen as a continuation of the historic struggle between Sudan’s north and south, which has influenced national politics since the colonial era.
Before Sudan’s independence in 1956, it was an Anglo-Egyptian colony where the British, using a divide-and-rule strategy, invested heavily in the Arab north, modernizing its institutions and services, while largely neglecting the southern provinces.
Since independence, political and economic power has been concentrated in an old elite in Khartoum, leaving most of the country’s 200 ethnic groups politically marginalized and impoverished.
“These two men symbolize more than just two armies; they also embody two distinct groups of Sudanese. Al-Burhan represents the elite of Khartoum, who have held power for decades, while Dagalo, from Darfur in the southwest, represents the poor and marginalized,” says Redie Bereketeab, whose research focuses on state- and nation-building in the Horn of Africa.
Dagalo views al-Burhan as a remnant of the old regime and a continuation of Omar al-Bashir’s power system.
He aims to dismantle not just the army, but the ideology and entrenched powers behind it, Bereketeab says.
However, General Burhan, backed by influential figures linked to Bashir’s former regime, has carried out a second coup against the civilian leaders of the 2021 transitional government and desperately wants to restore the old system.
Dagalo’s call has struck a chord with marginalized Sudanese, particularly those from the south, who view his push for a new army as a move toward creating a new Sudan.
The RSF leader is inspired by John Garang, a Sudanese politician and revolutionary who was killed in 2005, and whose vision focused on building a ‘New Sudan’ of citizenship with equal rights, civil politics, and representation for all.
In the long run, Sudanese leaders must address the past failures in creating a unified national identity and inclusive institutions.
