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.



Tunisia Activists Launch Gaza-bound Convoy in 'Symbolic Act'

 Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)
Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)
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Tunisia Activists Launch Gaza-bound Convoy in 'Symbolic Act'

 Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)
Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)

Hundreds of people, mainly Tunisians, launched on Monday a land convoy bound for Gaza, seeking to "break the siege" on the Palestinian territory, activists said.

Organizers said the nine-bus convoy was not bringing aid into Gaza, but rather aimed at carrying out a "symbolic act" by breaking the blockade on the territory described by the United Nations as "the hungriest place on Earth".

The "Soumoud" convoy, meaning "steadfastness" in Arabic, includes doctors and aims to arrive in Rafah, in southern Gaza, "by the end of the week", activist Jawaher Channa told AFP.

It is set to pass through Libya and Egypt, although Cairo has yet to provide passage permits, she added.

"We are about a thousand people, and we will have more join us along the way," said Channa, spokeswoman of the Tunisian Coordination of Joint Action for Palestine, the group organizing the caravan.

"Egypt has not yet given us permission to cross its borders, but we will see what happens when we get there," she said.

Channa said the convoy was not set to face issues crossing Libya, "whose people have historically supported the Palestinian cause", despite recent deadly clashes in the country that remains divided between two governments.

Algerian, Mauritanian, Moroccan and Libyan activists were also among the group, which is set to travel along the Tunisian and Libyan coasts, before continuing on to Rafah through Egypt.

After 21 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies.

On June 1, the Madleen aid boat, boarded by activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and European parliament member Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan, set sail for Gaza from Italy.

But on Monday morning Israel intercepted it, preventing it from reaching the Palestinian territory.

The UN has warned that the Palestinian territory's entire population is at risk of famine.