Sudan’s Sovereignty Council chief says RSF excluded from national dialogue

Sudan’s Sovereignty Council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Thursday that military forces are excluded from the country’s national dialogue and ruled out any role for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Sudanese state after the war.

Speaking to journalists participating in a media forum in Khartoum, Burhan said the state is committed to implementing the outcomes of the national dialogue that serve the interests of the Sudanese people, according to the state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA).

He said those participating in the dialogue seek to build the Sudanese state on the principles of justice and equality, stressing that the process is limited to political and civilian forces and has no connection to military forces.

On a proposed arms embargo expected to be brought before the UN Security Council, Burhan said the measure would not pass and would have no effect on the Sudanese army or its position on the battlefield.

He also said that no armed faction would be allowed to achieve gains through the use of weapons, adding: “There will be no militia within the state after the war ends.”

Burhan reiterated that the RSF would have no role in the Sudanese state after the war, citing what he described as violations and atrocities committed by the group against the Sudanese people.

He also reaffirmed his position on the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, which was brokered in 2023 by Saudi Arabia and the US to address the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, maintaining that it serves as the essential baseline for any formal security or humanitarian negotiations between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF.

Burhan said Sudan had invited US officials to visit the country and assess the situation on the ground but had received no response, renewing the invitation.

He separately defended the military’s actions on Oct. 25, 2021, saying they were “not a coup” but a “correction of the course of the revolution.”

He accused the first government of former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok of failing to build the state and seeking to empower political parties at the expense of state institutions.

He also claimed that Hamdok had agreed to dissolve the government and appoint a new administration capable of building the state and moving the country forward.

Burhan recalled the early months of the current war, saying several military positions fell to the RSF and that the army was forced to airdrop food and medicine to troops stationed at the General Command headquarters.

The remarks came as international efforts to end Sudan’s conflict have intensified. A delegation from the International Quintet -- comprising the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations -- concluded a three-day visit to Khartoum on Thursday, holding talks with Burhan and other Sudanese officials on efforts to end the war and advance a political process.

The Quintet reaffirmed Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, rejected parallel governing structures and called for an inclusive, Sudanese-led political process toward civilian rule.

Sudan has been engulfed in fighting between the army and the RSF since April 2023, leaving tens of thousands dead and displacing millions.