Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan used the Moscow summit to call for a Sudanese-led settlement and closer ties with Russia, and accused unnamed regional and international actors of backing the RSF.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the army-led Sovereignty Council, told the third Russia–Africa Summit in Moscow on 29 October that peace in Sudan must come from a Sudanese-led process "without external dictates", Sudan Now reported.
Burhan said an inclusive Sudanese dialogue should lead to a transitional period followed by elections monitored by regional and international observers. He accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of waging war on the Sudanese state with political and logistical support from regional and international actors, but did not name them.
Courting Moscow
Burhan praised Russia's emphasis on Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity since the war began in April 2023. He said he hoped relations would grow into a broader strategic partnership; the two countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations this year. According to Sudan Now, his delegation included senior government, financial, intelligence and defence-industry officials. Port Sudan has been seeking Russian partners in energy, mining, agriculture and reconstruction.
The full text of the address has been published by Sudanese media.
Analysis: words and practice
Burhan's call for a Sudanese-owned process and free elections will be read against the army's record. Earlier in October, Burhan rejected calls for a ceasefire and talks with the RSF, The New Arab reported. The US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, working as the Quad, are pressing for a humanitarian truce, and the Quintet of the AU, UN, EU, Arab League and IGAD is promoting an inclusive dialogue. The Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasis) and its Government of Peace and Unity in Nyala have said they are ready to join any process that delivers a just settlement and tackles historical marginalisation.
The speech came the same day as an Abu Dhabi court convicted Burhan's assistant, Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta, and former intelligence chief Salah Gosh over unlicensed arms deals for the army, according to WAM. It came a day after a UN fact-finding report documenting mass detention by SAF-affiliated security cells in El Obeid. Without independent monitoring and inclusion of all parties, appeals to sovereignty are unlikely to reassure Sudanese civilians or mediators.
Photo: Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan at the first Russia–Africa summit in Sochi, October 2019. Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.