Sudanese Opposition Describes Burhan’s Speech as ‘Positive’

Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan delivers a speech at the conclusion of a military training at Almaaqil area in the River Nile State. (Getty Images)
Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan delivers a speech at the conclusion of a military training at Almaaqil area in the River Nile State. (Getty Images)
TT
20

Sudanese Opposition Describes Burhan’s Speech as ‘Positive’

Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan delivers a speech at the conclusion of a military training at Almaaqil area in the River Nile State. (Getty Images)
Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan delivers a speech at the conclusion of a military training at Almaaqil area in the River Nile State. (Getty Images)

A leader in Sudan's opposition Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition has described a speech delivered by head of the Sovereign Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan earlier this week as a “positive step” that paves the way for an inclusive political process.

Burhan’s speech has sparked a debate. Some political groups considered it a step toward resolving the political crisis, while others saw it as a tactic to cause political confusion.

Secretary-General of the National Umma Party Al-Wathiq al-Barir told Asharq Al-Awsat that the opposition forces hope Burhan takes actual steps that would pave the way for a credible transitional government accepted by the Sudanese people.

He affirmed the forces' adherence to the return to the civilian transitional rule.

Speaking to soldiers at an army base north of Khartoum on Sunday, Burhan confirmed that talks on a new political framework for the country were ongoing.

He slammed the regime of ousted President Omar al-Bashir and warned it in harsh words not to interfere with the military or in politics.

“We will join hands with anyone who wants to rescue this country,” he said, adding that he would not agree to anything that leads to the breakup of the military.

Burhan denied that the army supported Bashir's National Congress Party.

“We warn those that want to hide behind the army, and specifically the National Congress Party and the Islamist Movement,” he said.

Former member of the 1989 Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation Brigadier General Salaheddine Karrar said Burhan’s speech sent a strong message that Sudan’s Islamist Movement and the dissolved National Congress Party have no future in ruling Sudan.

He added in an audio recording that the next settlement will be fully arranged by the US administration, noting that the Islamists and the far-left, represented by the Communist Party and the Arab parties, will be excluded.

Meanwhile, the tripartite mechanism - the United Nations, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development - continued consultations with political forces other than the FFC.

The tripartite mechanism convened with the Democratic Unionist Party, the National Congress Party and the Sudanese Professionals Association.

The Association backed the tripartite mechanism’s efforts, stressed that the remnants of the former regime shouldn’t take part in the transitional period, highlighted the necessity of reforming the security and military, and insisted on resisting impunity.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the tripartite mechanism is holding final consultations after reviewing the comments of the army commanders on the draft constitution, drawn up by the Sudanese Bar Association.



US Adding Second Aircraft Carrier in Middle East

A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP
A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP
TT
20

US Adding Second Aircraft Carrier in Middle East

A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP
A photo released by the US military shows an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane taking off from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier on March 16, 2025 - AFP

The United States is increasing the number of aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East to two, keeping one that is already there and sending another from the Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The announcement comes as US forces hammer Yemen's Houthis with near-daily airstrikes in a campaign aimed at ending the threat they pose to civilian shipping and military vessels in the region.

The Carl Vinson will join the Harry S. Truman in the Middle East "to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

"To complement the CENTCOM maritime posture, the secretary also ordered the deployment of additional squadrons and other air assets that will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities," Parnell said, referring to the US military command responsible for the region, AFP reported.

"The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security in the CENTCOM (area of responsibility) and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region," he added.

The Houthis began targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the start of the Gaza war in 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.

Houthi attacks have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic. Ongoing attacks are forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.

- 'Real pain' -

A day before the carrier announcement, US President Donald Trump vowed that strikes on Yemen's Houthis would continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.

"The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump added that the Houthis had been "decimated" by "relentless" strikes since March 15, saying that US forces "hit them every day and night -- Harder and harder."

On Wednesday, the Houthis accused the United States of killing four people in fresh airstrikes on Hodeidah province.

The US president has also ramped up rhetoric towards Tehran, threatening that "there will be bombing" if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program.

Satellite images seen by AFP showed that Washington had between March 26 and Wednesday doubled the number of B-2 bombers at a US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, from three to six.

The photos from imaging company Planet Labs PBC also showed the presence of six Stratotanker in-flight refuelling aircraft at the Diego Garcia base, within range of Iran.

Trump's threats come as his administration battles a scandal over the accidental leak of a secret group chat by senior security officials on the Yemen strikes.

The Atlantic magazine revealed last week that its editor -- a well-known US journalist -- was inadvertently included in a chat on the commercially available Signal app where top officials were discussing the strikes.

The officials, including Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussed details of airstrike timings and intelligence -- unaware that the highly sensitive information was being simultaneously read by a member of the media.