RSF advisor: Sudan army command “deeply troubled”

According to Ibrahim Mukheir, advisor to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo, the speech of Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan in El Gezira on Sunday shows that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) “have reached its worst scenario, militarily, politically, and morally”. A SAF delegation reportedly visited Iran recently, to purchase Iranian-made combat drones.

“The SAF’s high command is deeply troubled, which is reflected in El Burhan’s latest speeches,” Mukheir told Radio Dabanga in an interview yesterday.

“Lt Gen El Burhan is currently witnessing the worst scenario, militarily, politically, and morally, since the war started [on April 15],” he said. “It became clear from his speech in Wad Madani on Sunday that El Burhan expects the RSF to come with a military shock attack soon.

“The speech gives also clear evidence that El Burhan has a political problem, because he accused all Sudanese politicians of supporting the RSF. And one of the reasons for the suspension of the Jeddah negotiations is this kind of hostile rhetoric, a morally low rhetoric that calls for war instead of peace.”

‘Internal solution only’

Gen El Burhan, SAF commander-in-chief and head of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, told members of the First Infantry Division in Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira on Sunday that the “battle of dignity has not and will not end or stop, except when all of Sudan has been cleaned [of RSF soldiers]”.

He added that “We and our citizens who believe in the unity of Sudan, we will destroy the enemy… we will crush him… and we will throw him and everyone who helps him into the dustbin of history”.

At the same time, El Burhan warned the RSF of the impossibility of achieving power through war, stressing they will never be accepted by the Sudanese after what they did to them.

El Burhan also scorned the civil opposition abroad, describing most of its leaders as “beggars” who search for solutions externally. “Whoever wants solutions should come and talk to us here. Solutions will not come from abroad, and no solutions will ever be imposed on us from abroad. The solution lies with the Sudanese people at home.”

Regarding the Jeddah talks, held under auspices of Saudi Arabia and the USA, El Burhan reiterated his adherence to the RSF exit from “combat zones,” before agreeing on a truce.

The SAF commander also welcomed the UN Security Council resolution that ended the UN Integrated Mission to Support the Transition in Sudan (UNITAMS). At the same time however, he warned the new UN envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, of “the fate of his predecessors” if “he aligns with one of the parties to the conflict”.

On Saturday, El Burhan held a similar speech to a military gathering in the eastern Sudanese city of El Gedaref, in which he reiterated his “unwavering commitment” to eradicate the RSF.

Islamists

Regarding rumours that El Burhan’s speeches are dictated to him by Islamist affiliates and “remnants” of the Al Bashir regime (1989-2019), the RSF advisor said that “There is no contradiction in the positions between El Burhan and the Islamists.”

The Sudanese army is “entirely hijacked by the Muslim Brotherhood, and supported from abroad by the global Islamic movement, all of whom fall into the category of terrorist movements”, he said. “Everyone knows that there are Islamist battalions made up from remnants of ISIS and the civil war in Libya, which are fighting the RSF alongside the army.”

Commenting on El Burhan’s references to an RSF alliance with Sudanese political forces, Mukheir stated that the RSF “fully agrees with politicians who call for democracy and who stand up against the war”, though the group is “a regular military force that stands at the same distance from everyone, and it is not a political organisation”.

Iranian drones

A Sudanese army delegation allegedly visited Iran recently, on a mission related to the purchase of Iranian-made combat drones and training.

The Iran International reported on Sunday that the SAF’s primary objective was to acquire knowledge on the operation and utilization of the drones.

For years, Iran has been a key supplier of drones to Sudan, with the country steadily building up its capabilities from reconnaissance to attack, the Iranian news outlet wrote.

Last week, Lt Gen Yasir El Atta, deputy SAF commander and member of the Sovereignty Council, unleashed harsh criticism against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries he accused of supporting the RSF. He pointed fingers at “powerful, bribed politicians who accommodate Emirati aeroplanes supplying the RSF with necessary resources through multiple airports”.