Sudan’s military reported that its top commander, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, survived a drone attack on a military graduation ceremony in Gebeit, a town in eastern Sudan. The attack, which involved two drones, resulted in the deaths of five individuals. According to Lt. Col. Hassan Ibrahim from the military spokesman’s office, Burhan, who was present at the ceremony, was unharmed.
Sudan has been embroiled in conflict for over a year, with ongoing clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group. With the primary fighting concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, military leaders are predominantly operating in the eastern region near the Red Sea coast.
Footage from Al Araby TV captures the chaos during the drone attack, showing attendees fleeing and others looking skyward as the drones struck.
Assassination Attempt
This assassination attempt comes nearly a week after Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, head of the RSF, announced plans to attend ceasefire talks in Switzerland next month, hosted by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Daglo emphasized that these talks represent “a major step” towards establishing peace and stability in Sudan, with the aim of creating a new state based on “justice, equality, and federalism.”
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry responded to the U.S. invitation on Tuesday, stating that while the military-controlled Sudanese government is prepared to participate, it considers any negotiations before the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration “unacceptable to the Sudanese people.” The Jeddah Declaration, adopted last year, seeks to end the conflict, though neither side has fully committed to its provisions.
Humanitarian Aid
Negotiations involving representatives from both the Sudanese army and the RSF, led by Daglo, have resumed in Jeddah with a focus on delivering humanitarian aid, securing ceasefires, and working towards a permanent cessation of hostilities. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry has accused the RSF of being the sole aggressor against cities, villages, and civilians and has called for sanctions to be imposed to halt the RSF’s actions, lift sieges on cities, and reopen critical routes.
The ministry’s statement noted that the new negotiations should be based on the Jeddah Declaration and involve consultation with the military-led government on the agenda and participants.
Negotiations
“The Sudanese government has requested a meeting with the U.S. government to facilitate peace negotiations in the interest of the Sudanese people,” the foreign ministry stated.
Cameron Hudson, former chief of staff to the special envoy to Sudan, described the Sudanese military government’s response as “much more positive and open” than anticipated, suggesting it could lead to preliminary talks with the United States. Hudson urged the U.S. to capitalize on this opportunity and propose parallel discussions with the RSF.
The RSF originated from Janjaweed militias formed under former President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years before being ousted in a 2019 uprising. Bashir is sought by the International Criminal Court for genocide and other crimes committed during the Darfur conflict in the 2000s.
The UN migration agency reports that more than 4.6 million people have been displaced by the conflict, with over 3.6 million seeking refuge within Sudan and more than one million crossing into neighboring countries, including over 285,300 individuals who have fled to Egypt.
(AP)
