Sudan's Army Chief Plans Transitional Govt Amid Military Advances

A child and a woman wait next to their belongings as people displaced by the ongoing war in Sudan return to Wad Madani in the Jazira state, on February 6, 2025, after the city was retaken by the Sudanese army from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (AFP)
A child and a woman wait next to their belongings as people displaced by the ongoing war in Sudan return to Wad Madani in the Jazira state, on February 6, 2025, after the city was retaken by the Sudanese army from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (AFP)
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Sudan's Army Chief Plans Transitional Govt Amid Military Advances

A child and a woman wait next to their belongings as people displaced by the ongoing war in Sudan return to Wad Madani in the Jazira state, on February 6, 2025, after the city was retaken by the Sudanese army from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (AFP)
A child and a woman wait next to their belongings as people displaced by the ongoing war in Sudan return to Wad Madani in the Jazira state, on February 6, 2025, after the city was retaken by the Sudanese army from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (AFP)

Sudan's army chief said Saturday that a transitional government would be formed soon, as the military makes major gains against rival paramilitaries in the capital and central parts of the war-torn country.  

Speaking in Port Sudan, the country's de facto capital, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the new administration -- described as either a "caretaker government" or a "war government" -- would be composed of "independent" experts.  

"We are seeking to form a government in the coming period that will complete the tasks of transition," Burhan said.  

He added that its main objective would be to help "accomplish the remaining military tasks... and cleanse all of Sudan" of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Burhan also signaled that the government would lay the groundwork for a broader political transition, preparing the country for elections.  

He said a constitutional document would be approved before appointing a prime minister, pledging not to "interfere in his tasks or duties".  

The leader announced a cabinet reshuffle in November, replacing four ministers, including those for foreign affairs and media.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been locked in a devastating war between Burhan and his former ally, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the RSF.  

In his speech on Saturday, Burhan ruled out negotiations with the paramilitary group unless its forces withdrew from Khartoum, West Kordofan in the south and Darfur in the west, and regrouped in "designated locations."  

The army has in recent weeks won back large swathes of the capital Khartoum and its surroundings, after nearly two years of RSF control.  

The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 12 million and plunged the country into "the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded", according to the International Rescue Committee.

Advances in Khartoum North

Earlier on Saturday, the military said it had regained control of a key district in greater Khartoum as it presses its advance against the RSF.

The district of Kafouri in Khartoum North, or Bahri, had been under RSF control since war between the army and the paramilitaries began in April 2023.

In a statement, military spokesman Nabil Abdullah said that army forces, alongside allied units, had "completed on Friday the clearing of" Kafouri and other areas in Sharq El Nil, 15 kilometers to the east, of what he described as "remnants of the Daglo terrorist militias".

The army has in recent weeks surged through Bahri -- an RSF stronghold since the start of the war -- pushing the paramilitaries to the outskirts.

The Kafouri district, one of Khartoum's wealthiest neighborhoods, had served as a key base for RSF leaders.

Among the properties in the area was the residence of Abdel Rahim Daglo, the brother of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and his deputy in the group.

The recapture of Kafouri further weakens the RSF's hold in the capital and signals the army's continued advance to retake full control of Khartoum North, which is home to one million people.



Yemen Foils Houthi Plot to Assassinate UN Envoy Grundberg

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg in a previous briefing to the Security Council (AFP)
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg in a previous briefing to the Security Council (AFP)
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Yemen Foils Houthi Plot to Assassinate UN Envoy Grundberg

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg in a previous briefing to the Security Council (AFP)
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg in a previous briefing to the Security Council (AFP)

The Yemeni government has revealed it recently thwarted a plot by the Houthi militia to assassinate UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg. The operation was reportedly planned by a Houthi cell described as one of the most dangerous assassination networks operating in liberated areas, according to Yemen’s official news agency (SABA).

Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, stated that the plot was intended to create chaos in government-controlled regions and cast doubt on the state’s ability to provide security.

Grundberg, a Swedish diplomat, has served as the UN’s Special Envoy to Yemen since August 2021, following the tenure of Martin Griffiths of the UK.

Speaking during a meeting in Aden with the head of the European delegation to Yemen and several EU ambassadors, Al-Alimi said that Yemeni intelligence had uncovered a Houthi cell responsible for the killing of a World Food Programme staff member in Taiz, as well as other attacks on activists, journalists, and civilians.

He claimed the same group was preparing to target Grundberg as part of a broader effort to destabilize liberated provinces.

Asharq Al-Awsat reached out to the UN Envoy’s office for comment on the alleged plot and whether any additional security measures had been taken, but received no response at the time of publication.

Al-Alimi also briefed European diplomats on Yemen’s worsening economic crisis, aggravated by Houthi attacks on oil infrastructure and shipping.

“This is not only a military war, but also an economic battle to protect millions of livelihoods,” he said.

Since Houthi strikes halted oil exports, Yemen has lost nearly 70% of its public revenue. The government is now working to make up for this through domestic sources.

He warned that the Houthis continue to wage economic war by printing unauthorized currency and deepening financial divisions.

“This is a calculated attempt to collapse the economy,” Al-Alimi said, describing the group as a transnational threat involved in assassinations, smuggling, and hostage-taking.

He urged the EU to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group and adopt firm measures to isolate them as an armed entity operating outside international law.