The head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, said today, Thursday, that the army's support for the political framework agreement depends on the implementation of the clause integrating the Rapid Support Forces into the army.
In a speech delivered in the city of Zakiyab in the Nile River state (north of Khartoum), Al-Burhan stressed the inability of any force to defeat the Sudanese army, saying that whoever thinks of defeating it is wrong, as he put it.
He also said that the Sudanese army is a national army that defends the interest of the country, and that what matters to him personally is its unity.
Al-Burhan denied the army's support for any political party against the other, warning politicians against outbidding in the name of the military establishment.
Earlier this February, the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council denied that the army was planning a coup against the framework agreement, stressing the need for everyone to be involved in this agreement.
The framework agreement was signed on the fifth of last December between the military, the Forces for Freedom and Change (the Central Council) and some other civilian forces, but the Democratic Bloc faction in the Forces for Freedom and some other parties refused to sign it.
The framework agreement aims to reach a final and fair political agreement for the crisis in Sudan, and on January 8, the final phase of the political process between the signatories to this agreement began.
Integration of the Rapid Support Forces
The statements of Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Sudanese Army, of the need to implement the clause in the framework agreement stipulating the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the army, in light of reports of disagreements between Al-Burhan and his deputy in the Sovereignty Council, General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hamidti), who leads these forces.
Today, Thursday, Hamidti visited the state of South Darfur, and stressed the need for all armed forces in the state to be under the command of the commander of the army's 16th division, saying that anyone who carries a weapon and does not belong to any organized military entity will be dealt with firmly as an outlaw.
The Rapid Support Forces are considered combat forces that were formed under the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir, to confront the rebel movements in the Darfur region (west), and then to protect the borders and maintain order later, and in 2013 they became affiliated with the Security and Intelligence Service.
In 2015, the Rapid Support Forces became a regular force, and two years later it joined under the umbrella of the army. Sources estimate the number of its members to be about 30,000.
In August 2021, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hamidti), confirmed that he did not mind integrating his forces into the Sudanese army in light of a comprehensive security reform.