Sudan’s top general says military remains committed to civilian rule
KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan’s top general on Friday declared the military’s commitment to a civilian- led government, an apparent bid for international support even as his forces battle a rival paramilitary group in a bloody power struggle that has derailed hopes for the country’s democratic transition.
In his first speech since the conflict engulfed Sudan nearly a week ago, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan pledged the military would prevail and secure the vast African nation’s “safe transition to civilian rule.” But for many Sudanese, Burhan’s claim rang hollow 18 months after he joined forces with his current rival to seize power in a coup that cast aside Sudan’s prodemocracy forces.
Burhan’s announcement came on the Muslim Eid al- Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan and its month of fasting. Both sides later issued statements saying they had agreed on a three- day truce to allow people to celebrate, but residents could still hear gunfire in parts of the capital, Khartoum, an hour after the truce was to take effect. Two ceasefire attempts earlier this week rapidly collapsed.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has spoken to both generals, welcomed the latest truce while acknowledging that “fighting is continuing and there is serious mistrust between the two forces.”
“I reiterate my call on both sides to pause the fighting to allow civilians to take care of themselves and their families, to permit full and unimpeded humanitarian access, and to enable all civilians, including diplomatic personnel, to reach safety,” he said in a statement.
The United States, its allies and other countries have been searching in vain for ways to evacuate their citizens, which has thus far been too risky, with the two sides battling across Khartoum and elsewhere. Some of the heaviest fighting has been over airports.
The Pentagon has moved a small number troops to a base in the nearby Horn of Africa country of Djibouti to support an evacuation. The U. S. joint chiefs of staff chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, discussed the situation with defense officials from Germany, Italy and Canada at a gathering in Germany on Friday, a U.S. official said. One topic was ensuring that any potential evacuation efforts did not conflict. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the deliberations.
The Eid al-Fitr holiday — typically filled with prayer, celebration and feasting — was a somber one in Sudan, as gunshots rang out across the capital of Khartoum and heavy smoke billowed over the skyline.
Rather than out in the open, mosques held mass morning prayers inside to protect worshippers from the intensified fighting. The violence so far has killed 413 people and wounded 3,551, according to the latest toll from the World Health Organization. That includes at least nine children killed and 50 wounded in the fighting, said the U. N. children’s fund.