In a striking address at the United Nations, Sudan's army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued a grave warning on Thursday. He expressed deep concerns that the months-long conflict within Sudan could potentially spill over and destabilize the entire region. Al-Burhan emphasized the urgent need for international intervention and pressure, particularly on the paramilitary unit he is currently engaged in fighting.
General Al-Burhan, who has held de facto control over Sudan since a coup in 2021, alluded to the troubling connections between the rival Rapid Support Forces and the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization that has faced Western sanctions due to alleged human rights abuses in Africa.
He highlighted the escalating danger, stating, "The danger of this war is now a threat to regional and international peace and security as those rebels have sought the support of outlaws and terrorist groups from different countries in the region and the world." Al-Burhan continued, "This is like the spark of war, a war that will spill over to other countries in the region."
Al-Burhan's plea for international action was clear: "Regional and international interference to support these groups is crystal clear by now. This means that this is the first spark that will burn the region, and will have a direct impact on regional and international peace and security."
The conflict in Sudan erupted on April 15, following the collapse of a plan to integrate the army and the Rapid Support Forces, previously led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who was Al-Burhan's deputy.
The ongoing violence in Sudan has resulted in a devastating toll, with at least 7,500 people killed and approximately five million people displaced, dealing a severe setback to efforts aimed at establishing democracy in Sudan.
General Al-Burhan has been increasingly engaged in global diplomacy, possibly in an attempt to bolster his legitimacy on the international stage.
During his UN address, he called on world powers to designate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a terrorist group, citing their involvement in a litany of crimes. "They have committed all sorts of crimes that give grounds for such a designation," he asserted, listing a range of offenses including killing, burning, rape, forced displacement, looting, torture, and trafficking.
While the United States recently imposed sanctions on RSF leaders, including senior commander Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo, for alleged abuses such as the killing of the governor of West Darfur, there remains strong Western criticism of General Al-Burhan's role in Sudan's political landscape.
In 2021, alongside RSF leader Daglo, Al-Burhan sidelined civilian leadership, disrupting a transitional power-sharing agreement that had emerged following mass protests that led to the ousting of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir.
Al-Burhan affirmed his commitment to returning power to the Sudanese people through a national consensus and consent, pledging that the armed forces would withdraw from politics definitively.
In sum, Sudan's General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's address at the United Nations underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan and the potential for it to escalate into a broader regional crisis. His call for international action, especially against the RSF, resonates with the need to address the severe humanitarian and security challenges facing Sudan and the surrounding region.