Sudan army commander offers to step down

August 3, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudanese army deputy commander Yasir Al-Atta said army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan offered to hand over power to his deputy commander now, underscoring the military’s lack of desire to hold power after the war’s end.

The comments by Yasir al-Atta on state television on Saturday came amid criticism of Burhan’s leadership during the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Al-Atta said Burhan had offered to step down several days ago but that Al-Atta had told him to wait until after the war.

“Three or four days ago, I was talking to al-Burhan, and he said to me: ‘I’ve reached my limit. Agree with (Shams al-Din) Kabbashi (the army deputy commander in chief) so we can hand over power to him,” al-Atta said.

The RSF has accused the army of being influenced by Islamists. Al-Atta retorted by saying the RSF had recruited Islamist officers dismissed during a transition period that followed the ousting of Omer al-Bashir in 2019.

The army deputy chief also criticised the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), a civilian alliance, for calling for an end to the war, saying the group lacked the experience to govern.

In the hour-long interview, al-Atta emphasized the military’s unity and determination to continue fighting “until the Janjaweed (using a term the army uses to refer to the RSF) are eliminated or surrender unconditionally”.