Sudan’s Sovereign Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has categorically rejected foreign-imposed solutions to the country’s ongoing conflict, insisting that only the Sudanese people should determine their political future.
Speaking at a conference in Darfur, Burhan said foreign intervention would not be accepted and that Sudanese forces would ultimately prevail. He rejected efforts to reinstate former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok or form a government without local approval. Hamdok, who ruled Sudan from 2019 to 2022, currently heads the Taqaddum coalition, which advocates democratic rule.
“Anyone who aims to govern Sudan must first come to the country and stand with the Sudanese people to defeat the insurgency,” Burhan said, referring to the ongoing conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Condemning what he described as foreign interference, he said: “There is no longer room for foreign agents among us.”
Burhan also criticised the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for trying to broker solutions that he claimed lacked public support. “How can they try to bring in figures that the Sudanese people have rejected and try to reimpose them?” he asked.
According to UN reports, the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which broke out in April 2023, has left more than 20,000 dead and displaced 14 million people. However, independent research from US universities suggests the death toll could be as high as 130,000.
As international pressure mounts to end the conflict, humanitarian organisations warn of a looming catastrophe that could leave millions of people facing famine and severe food shortages. The fighting has now spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states, intensifying concerns about the country’s future.