Burhan: Sudanese Army Must Stop Supporting Dictatorships

The head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, commander of the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)
The head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, commander of the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)
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Burhan: Sudanese Army Must Stop Supporting Dictatorships

The head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, commander of the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)
The head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, commander of the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (AFP)

The head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, and commander of the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, called on his forces to stop supporting dictatorships, as they have done in recent decades.

He indicated that Sudan would build a military force that would not intervene in politics and would be trusted by the Sudanese people to make a modern and democratic state.

Burhan affirmed the commitment of the armed forces to move forward with the Framework Agreement and the democratic transition, explaining that security and military reform is a complex process that requires laying the correct foundations for establishing professional armed forces without involving them in political battles.

The commander spoke at the opening of the "Military and Security Reform" workshop as stipulated by the Framework Agreement, signed between the military and civilians on December 5, as an essential element in the political process to return civilians to power.

"The process of security and military reform is a long and complicated process that cannot be bypassed," he said.

"We want to enable any elected civilian authority to have the armed forces under its command," he added.

Burhan stressed that the armed forces would not stand in the way of reforming the state, noting that the conference was an opportunity to lay the foundations for security and military reform and establish the state's police, judicial, and security agencies.

The official called on the political forces that reject the political framework agreement to join the political process, assuring that everything proposed in the political process is a national action formulated by the Sudanese.

Burhan welcomed everything that can reform the military institution and put it on the right path: "We are working to build armed forces which have the trust of all Sudanese."

Meanwhile, Deputy head of Sudan's sovereign council and head of Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said that his forces are "unequivocally committed" to siding with the democratic transition and integration into one professional army, demanding that reform include all state agencies.

Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, stressed that the security and military reform process should not be subject to any political agendas, asserting the necessity to reach a single army as agreed between the parties.

Hemedti called for benefiting from the experiences and models of merging armies in some countries, recalling that the Rapid Support Forces were formed according to the law that regulated and defined their tasks.

He added that the security and military reform process needs to develop legislation and laws, which is the task of the Ministry of Justice and the Legislative Council.

The RSF commander explained that reforming the security and military system is a complex and sensitive technical process, stressing that the workshop is the beginning of security and army reform.

The Sudanese military and civilian parties have formally engaged in talks to discuss the security and military reform processes, including the parties expected to reach an agreed formula for integrating the RSF into one army.

Furthermore, the Quartet and the Troika welcomed the launch of the security and military reform conference, which discusses the fifth issue of the Final Phase of the political process in Sudan.

A statement stressed that addressing legal, constitutional, and political issues around the role of the armed forces and other security forces is a vital element of any transition from authoritarian rule to democracy.

"We commend all the parties present today for their commitment, recorded in the Framework Political Agreement, to the vision of a single, national, unified professional army, reformed and modernized, under democratic civilian control."

The Quartet and the Troika said that the workshop is merely the start of a process and cannot be expected to develop detailed long-term plans.

"We respectfully encourage the participants to focus on building the minimum necessary consensus around both the long-term vision and the immediate next steps following the creation of a new civilian-led transitional government," read the statement.

The statement added that the National Security and Defense Council, led by the Prime Minister, should undertake more detailed work following the Framework Political Agreement and the Juba Peace agreement as a basic reference.

The statement urged all signatories to engage fully in these processes, adding that the Quad and Troika stand ready to offer technical support while respecting Sudanese leadership.

The statement urged those who have not yet joined the process to consider how they may do so, noting that expectations are high. The UN Security Council is following the matter closely following last week's briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Volker Perthes.



Israel Strikes Lebanon after Discussing 'Iranian Threat' with Trump

A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
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Israel Strikes Lebanon after Discussing 'Iranian Threat' with Trump

A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
A ball of fire rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on November 7, 2024. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

Israel launched fresh strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs early Thursday, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US president-elect Donald Trump spoke about the "Iranian threat".

The Israeli premier was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump, calling the re-election "history's greatest comeback".

Over the phone on Wednesday, the pair "agreed to work together for Israel's security" and "discussed the Iranian threat", Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Not long afterwards, the Israeli military launched its latest strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah's main bastion of south Beirut, with AFP footage showing orange flashes and plumes of smoke over the densely populated suburb.

The Israeli army had issued evacuation orders ahead of the strikes, calling on people to leave four neighborhoods, including one near the international airport.

In Lebanon's east, the country's health ministry said Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 40 people, with rescuers combing the rubble for survivors.

"The series of Israeli enemy strikes on the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek" killed "40 people and injured 53", the ministry said in a statement.