KHARTOUM — Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Saturday that the army is ready for talks to “end the war and restore Sudan’s unity and dignity,” while rejecting claims of ongoing negotiations with foreign mediators.

Speaking in the northern city of Atbara while offering condolences to the family of Army Maj. Muzammil Abdullah, who was killed in fighting in El-Fasher, al-Burhan said there are currently no talks with the Quartet — comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates — or with any other party.

He emphasized that the Sudanese Armed Forces “will keep fighting the enemy wherever it is found” and denied accusations that the military targets specific tribes or regions.

“Those who genuinely seek peace are welcome,” al-Burhan said, “but imposing peace or a government on the people against their will is unacceptable.”

His remarks came ahead of planned Quartet meetings in New York aimed at reviving diplomatic efforts to end Sudan’s year-and-a-half-long conflict.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged since April 2023, killing more than 20,000 people and displacing about 14 million, according to UN and local estimates.
Research by US universities, however, puts the death toll closer to 130,000.

In July, the Sudanese Founding Alliance — a coalition aligned with the RSF — announced the formation of a parallel government led by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. — Agencies