Sudan's Burhan Says Army Will Only Hand Over Power to Elected Gov’t

Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Transitional Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)
Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Transitional Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)
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Sudan's Burhan Says Army Will Only Hand Over Power to Elected Gov’t

Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Transitional Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)
Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Transitional Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)

Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Transitional Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said in controversial statements from Darfur that the army will only hand over power to an elected civilian government or if a national consensus is reached.

His remarks were made on Wednesday while presiding over a meeting of the Permanent Ceasefire Committee of the Juba Peace Agreement in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.

Burhan considered completing the security arrangements necessary to avoid destabilizing acts and called on the joint force to protect citizens in Darfur and deter outlaws.

Burhan underscored the importance of directing arms to protect the borders and ensure the safe return of refugees and displaced people to their villages, in light of the regional turmoil.

Upon his arrival in Khartoum, Burhan met with the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Sudan and head of the UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes.

The meeting touched on the current political situation in Sudan, as well as the security situation in the Darfur region, Volcker said in a press statement.

Discussions also tackled the UN-facilitated ongoing political consultation process to reach consensus and end the crisis.

The UN envoy stressed the need to provide a suitable environment to make the ongoing political consultations process successful by ending the violence that accompanies the demonstrations.



Far-Right Israeli Minister Confronts Long-Imprisoned Palestinian Leader Face to Face

In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appears at Jerusalem's court. (AP)
In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appears at Jerusalem's court. (AP)
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Far-Right Israeli Minister Confronts Long-Imprisoned Palestinian Leader Face to Face

In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appears at Jerusalem's court. (AP)
In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appears at Jerusalem's court. (AP)

A video widely circulated on Friday shows Israel's far-right national security minister berating a Palestinian leader face-to-face inside a prison, saying anyone who acts against the country will be “wiped out.”

Marwan Barghouti is serving five life sentences after being convicted of involvement in attacks at the height of the Palestinian uprising, or intifada, in the early 2000s. Polls consistently show he is the most popular Palestinian leader. He has rarely been seen since his arrest more than two decades ago.

It was unclear when the video was taken, but it shows National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for staging provocative encounters with Palestinians, telling Barghouti that he will “not win."

"Anyone who murders children, who murders women, we will wipe them out," Ben-Gvir said.

Ben-Gvir’s spokesman confirmed the visit and the video’s authenticity, but denied that the minister was threatening Barghouti.

Barghouti, now in his mid-60s, was a senior leader in President Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah movement during the intifada. Many Palestinians see him as a natural successor to the aging and unpopular leader of the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel considers him a terrorist and has shown no sign it would release him. Hamas has demanded his release in exchange for hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

In a Facebook post, Barghouti’s wife said she couldn’t recognize her husband, who appeared frail in the video. Still, she said after watching the video, he remained connected to the Palestinian people.

“Perhaps a part of me does not want to acknowledge everything that your face and body shows, and what you and the prisoners have been through,” wrote Fadwa Al Barghouthi, who spells their last name differently in English.

Israeli officials say they have reduced the conditions under which Palestinians are held to the bare minimum allowed under Israeli and international law. Many detainees released as part of a ceasefire in Gaza earlier this year appeared gaunt and ill, and some were taken for immediate medical treatment.