Photo by mostafa meraji on Unsplash
The past week saw General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), commenting from Atbara on the prospects for peace in Sudan. He once again appeared to reject international initiatives for peace, the latest refusal in a two-year long saga of him rebuffing peace attempts, seemingly steadfast in his belief that only outright victory for the SAF will be an acceptable end to the Sudan conflict.
Burhan stated in Atbara, “We will not retreat from the pledge we made, and there will be no negotiation with any party,”. He explained that that although those who seek peace and prioritise the interest of the Sudanese people are “welcome”, he is not in favour of international peace initiatives. He explained that “imposing peace or a government on a people that rejects it will not be accepted. Burhan reiterated that his “goal is to confront the enemy,” adding, “We will continue to fight and confront the enemy wherever it exists.”
Although these remarks will likely cause dismay amongst the international players, such as the Quad, working for peace in Sudan, they will not cause much surprise. Burhan’s actions and statements over the course of the war indicate both a reluctance to negotiate and an instinct always to seek military advantage over compromise.
One Sudan watcher based in London explained, “It’s the ‘same old same old’ from Burhan. Sometimes he gets on a plane to go and talk. Sometimes he doesn’t. But the underlying attitude is always the same. He is fundamentally not interested in pursuing peace, only victory and conflict. It’s hardwired into him. He’s a military guy, not a statesman. He does not really have it within him to step up to the next level and pursue peace. Unfortunately his Prime Minister is not much more inclined towards peace either, that much was clear at the UNGA in New York.”
In August 2024, Burhan publicly declared that his forces would “fight for one hundred years” and refused to personally attend peace talks with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), part of the Tasis Alliance, in Switzerland, rejecting international mediation efforts from the outset. August 2025 did not go much better. Burhan did at least meet then with Massad Boulos, US envoy to Africa. This meeting, however, did not leave the US feeling any good faith from the SAF camp, not least because Burhan himself, immediately after the meeting, ruled out compromise or reconciliation, stating yet again that the conflict would only end in outright military victory for the SAF. He pledged to fight for dignity, defeat the rebellion, and shun any peace deal.
Some commentators believe that Burhan’s own resistance to peace is exacerbated by the Islamist allies on whom he relies so heavily, allies that the US have implored him to distance himself from. 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 to be assisting the SAF in gaining access to drones.
The SAF’s reliance on Ali Karti, the secretary-general of the Sudanese Islamic Movement is also a cause for concern. According to Africa Intelligence, Karti is living in Port Sudan and meets regularly with Burhan and Yasser al-Atta. There are also claims the Sudanese Islamic Movement’s funds are paying the salaries of Islamist fighters, reducing SAF costs.
A highly visible element of the SAF’s Islamist network is the Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade, major players in the SAF’s retaking of Khartoum. 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”. Burhan himself is also subject to US sanctions.
Burhan’s own inclination towards continued conflict, likely deepened by the vested interested of the Islamist allies propping him up, mean that international attempts at peace are frustrating and frustrated. This is unlikely to change with the news from the past weekend that the RSF have taken El-Fasher. To their credit, the US and their allies do seem to keep striving for peace.
