According to authorities, Sudan’s top military official will depart for Egypt on Tuesday, marking his first international journey since the nation descended into a bloody civil war earlier this year.
According to a statement from the ruling Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of the body, would likely speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on the most recent developments in Sudan.
Sudan descended into turmoil in the middle of April when long-simmering tensions between the military, led by Burhan, and the potent paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted into open combat throughout the country, including in the capital city of Khartoum.
The RSF now controls large portions of the city, turning the capital into an urban battlefield. One of the focal points of the controversy has allegedly been the military headquarters, where Burhan has been stationed since April 2023.
Burhan traveled to Egypt with Gen. Ahmed Ibrahim Mufadel, the chairman of the General Intelligence Authority, and other military leaders in addition to Acting Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq.
Last week, Burhan was able to escape the military headquarters. In addition to other locations around the nation, he went to military facilities in Omdurman, a sister city of Khartoum. From the Red Sea port city of Port Sudan, Burhan departed for Egypt.
No side has been able to seize control of Khartoum or other crucial regions of the nation despite months of warfare. Large explosions and plumes of black smoke were visible last week over important parts of the metropolis, especially close to the airport.
Egypt has had a long-standing relationship with the top generals and Sudanese army. El-Sissi organized a gathering of Sudan’s neighbors in July and unveiled a strategy for a cease-fire. A number of tenuous cease-fires that were mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia have fallen apart.
Urban places like Khartoum and others have become battlegrounds due to the turmoil. Many citizens lack access to electricity and water, and the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse.
Some of the biggest violent outbursts occurred in the vast region of Darfur, and the fighting there has evolved into interethnic conflicts with RSF and other Arab militias targeting ethnic African groups.
The provinces of West Kordofan and South Kordofan also experienced an increase in fighting earlier this month.
According to the U.N. human rights office, at least 4,000 people are believed to have died in the battle, but local activists and medical professionals believe the actual death toll is likely much higher.
According to the U.N. migration agency, there have been more than 4.6 million displaced persons. Among them are more than 3.6 million people who left Sudan for safer locations and more than 1 million more who crossed into nearby nations.
