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Sudan’s Burhan: Army Rejects Dictates from Any Party

Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan at the Flamingo Marine Base in Port Sudan in August. (AFP)
Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan at the Flamingo Marine Base in Port Sudan in August. (AFP)
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Sudan’s Burhan: Army Rejects Dictates from Any Party

Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan at the Flamingo Marine Base in Port Sudan in August. (AFP)
Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan at the Flamingo Marine Base in Port Sudan in August. (AFP)

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the Sudanese ruling Sovereign Council and army commander, said on Saturday that his military is independent and not subject to any dictates from any party.

His comments came two days after the United States imposed sanctions on Ali Karti, the foreign minister under ousted leader Omar al-Bashir, who became head of the Sudanese Islamic Movement after Bashir was toppled in 2019.

On Friday, Burhan visited the Atbara artillery base, north of Khartoum in the River Nile state, where he met with local officers. This is his second visit to the base since his withdrawal from the army command compound in the Sudanese capital on August 25.

Burhan expressed his determination to end the war in Sudan, but said he aims to remove "the cancer that has infected the body of the state," reported the Arab World news agency.

The Sovereignty Council quoted Burhan as saying that the war was "imposed on us," warning about the presence of a group that wants to "swallow" Sudan.

On April 15, heavy fighting erupted between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Response Forces (RSF) in Khartoum after weeks of tensions building between the two sides.

"We are confident of victory in the battle of dignity thanks to the people's support. This army is the army of the fatherland and there is no side or party that has power over it," Burhan stressed.

He added that the war in Sudan is being waged by two brothers who only care about their own interests, referring to RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and his brother and deputy Abdul Rahim.

Last Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on two companies, including one based in Russia, in addition to Karti, accusing them of deepening instability in Sudan.

"(Karti) and other hardline Sudanese Islamists are actively obstructing efforts to reach a ceasefire to end the current war between the Army and RSF and opposing Sudanese civilians, efforts to restore Sudan's democratic transition," the US Treasury said.

Also hit with sanctions was GSK Advance Company, a Sudan-based company the Treasury said has been used as a procurement channel for the RSF.

Meanwhile at least two people were killed and 20 others injured, including six children, during an airstrike on the Mayo neighborhood near a public hospital south of Khartoum, the South Belt Emergency Committee announced on Saturday.

The Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers announced that five civilians, including four members of the same family, were killed in artillery attacks by the RSF forces on the Omdurman region.

 

Armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF had resumed on Saturday in several areas of Khartoum.

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Inspectors Say Around 100 Chemical Weapons Sites Remain in Syria

OPCW inspectors in Syria (AP)  
OPCW inspectors in Syria (AP)  
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Inspectors Say Around 100 Chemical Weapons Sites Remain in Syria

OPCW inspectors in Syria (AP)  
OPCW inspectors in Syria (AP)  

More than 100 chemical weapons sites are suspected to remain in Syria, left behind after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said.

That number is the first estimate of its kind as the leading international organization that tracks these weapons seeks to enter Syria to assess what remains of al-Assad’s notorious military program, according to a report published by The New York Times.

It said the figure is far higher than any that al-Assad has ever acknowledged.

According to OPCW, the current estimate of more than 100 sites comes from the watchdog and has been circulated recently among experts and international nonproliferation analysts.

The organization said it had arrived at the number based on outside researchers, nonprofit groups and intelligence shared by its member countries.

The Times revealed that the sites are suspected to have been involved in the research, manufacturing and storage of chemical weapons.

Assad used weapons like sarin and chlorine gas against opposition fighters and Syrian civilians during more than a decade of civil war, it noted.

“Some sites are probably hidden in caves or other places that are tough to find using satellite images, according to researchers, former organization staff members and other experts. That increases the likelihood that some weapons are not secured,” the newspaper wrote.

Assad-led Syria joined the agency under a US-Russian deal following a 2013 sarin gas attack that killed hundreds. Around 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors were destroyed.

During the past decade, Syrian officials under Assad stonewalled OPCW inspectors. The number of sites, and whether they are secured, has been a mystery since opposition forces toppled al-Assad last year, The Times said.

It said that in the early years of the civil war, Assad’s government declared the locations of 27 sites to the OPCW, which sent inspectors to visit and shut them down. But Assad continued to use chemical weapons until at least 2018, and research showed that his government kept importing essential precursor chemicals.

Inspectors had warned that the weapons are deadly, particularly when used in densely populated areas.

Sarin, a nerve agent, can kill within minutes. Chlorine and mustard gas, weapons made infamous in World War I, burn the eyes and skin and fill the lungs with fluid, seemingly drowning people on land.

In a surprise visit in March to the global chemical weapons watchdog headquarters at The Hague, Syria’s foreign minister said that the government would “destroy any remains of the chemical weapons program developed under the Assad regime” and comply with international law.

The current government allowed a team from the watchdog to enter the country this year to begin work documenting the sites, according to people with knowledge of the file.

But despite promises, the new government has not yet appointed an ambassador to the watchdog — a key first step that is seen as a sign of a country’s commitment.

Last week, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa receives a cable of congratulation from OPCW Director, Fernando Arias, on the formation of the new Syrian government.

Arias expressed his sincere congratulations on the formation of the new government, wishing al-Sharaa success in implementing his program aimed at bringing stability to Syria and achieving prosperity for the Syrian people.

The OPCW chief also extended his best wishes to Sharaa on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, following the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Arias affirmed his support for Syria during the transitional period which includes issues related to the efforts being made together to permanently end the dark chapter of Syria’s former chemical weapons program.