Sudan army chief draws fire for praising ‘gun’ over peaceful protest
April 29, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Remarks by Sudan’s Sovereign Council head and army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, declaring the time for peaceful protests over and glorifying the gun, have ignited social media, drawing angry reactions from pro-democracy forces behind the 2019 uprising that overthrew President Omer al-Bashir.
Al-Burhan said on Tuesday, “The time for blocking roads is gone, along with those who used to say glory to the ‘Satk’ (tires). Glory now belongs only to the gun.”
Social media platforms became forums for clashes between supporters of al-Burhan and critics of his statements.
Many young people who demonstrated against military rule following the coup of October 25, 2021, joined the army’s fight against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Their participation has amplified anger over al-Burhan’s remarks.
Yasir Arman, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – Democratic Revolutionary Current, stated: “Glory to the Satk… yes to the December Revolution, and no to the April war.”
Nour Eddin Babikir, spokesman for the Sudanese Congress Party, said al-Burhan’s remarks “unmask the truth about this war – that it is not for the nation or dignity, but solely for power.”
He added: “Al-Burhan does not fear the gun… But he fears the voice of the masses, the December Revolution and its slogans that terrified tyrants. That is why he wants to bury the tools of peaceful resistance.”
The phrase “Glory to the Satk” circulated widely on social media, with 7,600 mentions tallied on Facebook, while “December remains and will triumph” trended on the X platform.
The slogan “Glory to the Satk” was widely used during protests against ousted President Omar al-Bashir and against military rule following the Oct. 25, 2021, coup led by al-Burhan. Protesters frequently burned tires during demonstrations, often drawing gunfire from security forces.
Many Resistance Committees, which spearheaded protests against military rule before the current conflict, published photos of burning tires.
The Al-Duyum Al-Sharqiya Resistance Committees’ coordination reminded al-Burhan that peaceful protests had brought him to power.
It stressed that the “Satk” used to block streets was the creation of an invincible people and had also created temporary glory for you.
The Old Omdurman Resistance Committees said the army commander’s speech “was nothing but a mockery of this great people’s revolution and contempt for its means of struggle… Glory, all glory, to the Satk, because it was the fire of anger in the face of oppression.”
It elaborated that the Satk was not merely a tire, “but a revolutionary cry. Its smoke was a call for freedom, and its spark was a light on the path of change… The revolution is not governed by ranks nor silenced by speeches.”
The Unified Feminist Coordination to Stop the War described al-Burhan’s statements as an attempt “to leap over facts, criminalize the revolution, and shirk responsibility for bringing the country to its current state.”
The group viewed the army commander’s statement as a continuation of the “evasion and misinformation” tactics he has employed since April 2019. It noted that while revolutionaries called for dissolving the “Janjaweed” militia – a term often used for the RSF – al-Burhan defended the paramilitary group, describing them as originating from the army and legitimizing their presence.
Protesters, especially after the coup, demanded that the military return to barracks and that the RSF be dissolved. Al-Burhan defended the paramilitary force, saying they “guard the country on behalf of those asleep.”
The coordination affirmed that “revolutionaries were never, and will never be, against the existence of a professional national army… They were and still are fighting to establish a state sovereign and support… a single national military institution that does not engage in politics or overturn the people’s will.”
The Women Against Injustice group condemned al-Burhan’s remarks, calling them “offensive to the December Revolution and its martyrs, and inciting continued death and destruction.”
It added: “Glory to the Satk, O Burhan! Glory to the revolution, the martyrs, and the thousands who pour into the streets like torrents.”
Al-Burhan came to head the Sovereign Council under a 2019 power-sharing deal between the military and civilian groups following Bashir’s ouster. He later led a coup, alongside the RSF, against the civilian partners in October 2021.