Sudan's Burhan says laying groundwork for election of civilian government

The head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said on Thursday that the military is working to create appropriate conditions for an elected civilian government to assume power in the country.

The remarks came during a meeting between al-Burhan, who is also an army chief, and German envoy to the Horn of Africa, Heiko Nitschke, in the eastern city of Port Sudan.

The meeting discussed “efforts exerted by the Sudanese government to achieve peace and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need,” the Sovereign Council said in a statement.

According to the statement, the discussion also touched on “the ongoing efforts to launch an inclusive dialogue among Sudanese stakeholders and to form a technocratic government that would prepare the country for elections.”

Military not interested in politics

“The armed forces are working to create appropriate conditions for an elected civilian government to take over power in the country,” Burhan said, reiterating that the military is not interested in engaging in politics.

The German envoy, for his part, said that Germany is ready to support reconstruction efforts in Sudan.

The statement did not specify the envoy’s arrival date or the duration of his visit to Sudan.

On Wednesday, Burhan declared the capital Khartoum “free” after his army forces expelled the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from the city.

More than 20,000 people killed in Sudan

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

The international community and the UN have called for an end to the war, warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages.

The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states