The Sudanese army announced that its commander Abdulfattah al-Burhan inspected frontlines in the Omdurman military zone and other locations north of the city amid reports of a coup attempt and the arrest of powerful officers, who are probably loyal to Islamists within the army.
Burhan met with member of the sovereign council Yasser al-Ata during the inspection, while media reports said the “unofficial” purpose of his visit was “to remove all traces of the alleged military coup and detain several officers who were involved.”
A statement from the sovereign council on Thursday said Burhan was briefed on the military operations and inspected army and civilian locations as locals “spontaneously” flocked to welcome him.
The military locations he inspected are among the most vital for the army and from where it launches its operations against the Rapid Support Forces.
The army denied claims of the coup, but acknowledged the “arrest of officers”. Some supporters of the military made light of the development, saying the officers were detained for “complaining” about the army’s military plans.
Three officers of medium rank were arrested.
During his inspection, Burhan stressed the armed forces’ commitment to treating the wounded and “uprooting the cancerous rebellious militia and its mercenaries” - a reference to the RSF.
He added that the people and armed forces were united in ending the rebellion.
Military sources said Burhan’s visit sought to raise morale among the troops, eliminate traces of the coup, “or at least ease the fallout from the arrest of the officers.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Maash al-Tayyeb al-Malkabi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the only party capable of carrying out a coup during the current circumstances was the “officers from the Islamist movement” because they are the only ones boasting a “trusted communications network”.
The detained officers confirmed this when they were interrogated, he added.
Moreover, he said that the fact that officers affiliated with the Islamists attempted a coup demonstrates that the organization is displeased with the military operations and is working against democracy and civilian rule.
The army kept the coup attempt under wraps, demonstrating that it knew about the plot in advance, he went on to say.
The Darfur 24 daily quoted a senior officer as saying that military intelligence discovered the plot on February 1. It was supposed to take place a day later and in coordination with other groups from Khartoum Bahri and Port Sudan.
The plot also included the arrest of several military commanders, including Burhan himself.
At any rate, various sources confirmed that the complaints are rising in the army over how operations are being carried out. It remains to be seen if Burhan’s visit will be enough to ease the tensions.
