Photo by ali khodaverdi on Unsplash
The leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan faces what Africa Intelligence calls a “politically toxic” situation, as he relies upon the 20,000 fighters of Islamist militia the Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade to deliver territories such as Khartoum. Yet to try and win even a morsel of trust from the international community, he is angling to publicly distance himself from this brigade that makes no secret of its allegiance to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The death earlier this month of Major General Abu Obeida Fadlallah put the spotlight on Burhan’s enmeshment with Islamist forces. Fadlallah ranked high within the Military Intelligence Service and coordinated SAF collaboration with the Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade and other Islamist groups. That spotlight grew more fierce as the US Treasury sanctioned the brigade , along with finance minister Gibril Ibrahim, who is also the leader of the JEM militia. Both the brigade and Gibril Ibrahim are accused by the US of being radical Islamists and of obstructing “efforts to reach a ceasefire to end the war and [of] cultivating ties with and receiving technical support from the Iranian government”. Of course Burhan himself is also subject to US sanctions.
Burhan’s manoeuvres to try and convince the international community that he is distancing himself from the Islamist militias include a claim at a meeting with Massad Boulos, US envoy to Africa, that he would withdraw Islamist forces in exchange for the US restarting mediation. However, little from that meeting was taken seriously, not least because Burhan himself, immediately after the meeting, ruled out compromise or reconciliation, reaffirming yet again that the Sudanese war would only end in outright military victory for the SAF. he pledged to fight for dignity, defeat the rebellion, and shun any peace deal.
Whatever the story told in public, the SAF continues its deep cooperation with Islamist militias. According to Africa Intelligence, the leader of Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade, Al-Misbah Abuzeid Talha, was released from custody in Cairo thanks to SAF intervention on his behalf. Talha works closely with Sudan’s intelligence services, known for their Islamist ties and helpfulness in gaining the SAF access to drones.
There are also concerns about the SAF’s reliance on Ali Karti, the secretary-general of the Sudanese Islamic Movement. According to Africa Intelligence, Karti is living in Port Sudan and meets regularly with Burhan and Yasser al-Atta. They also claim the Sudanese Islamic Movement’s funds are paying the salaries of Islamist fighters, reducing the financial burden on the SAF.
Recent efforts by the Quad to launch a peace initiative were shot down immediately by the SAF. Burhan said the Quad’s communiqué “does not concern us and we are not a party to it.” He added that he had informed the United States of Khartoum’s “categorical refusal” of any externally imposed agenda or solutions unacceptable to the Sudanese people. He added: “We will not lay down our arms until we break the siege of El-Fasher, Zalingei, Babanusa, and every inch desecrated by the rebellion”. This entrenched commitment to perpetual war does not only have its roots in Burhan’s own military background. It is fuelled and exacerbated by his dependency on Islamist allies who have zero interest in peace.
With the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York this week, there have been some faint hopes of momentum towards peace in Sudan. Sadly they do not seem realistic for as long as Burhan and the SAF remain so embedded with Islamist forces who work against peace, not for it.
