A senior Sudanese general has disclosed that the nation’s military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has expressed a strong desire to step down from power.
In a recent interview with Sudan TV, a network run by the army, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta revealed details of a conversation he had with Al-Burhan. According to Al-Atta, Al-Burhan expressed a wish to transfer power to his deputy, Shams Al-Din Kabbashi.
“Just a few days ago, I spoke with Al-Burhan over the phone, and he told me, ‘I’ve reached my limit. You and [Lieutenant General] Kabbashi should agree on transferring power to him.’ I refused and insisted that Al-Burhan remain in power until the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are defeated,” Al-Atta recounted.
This revelation hints at possible discussions of a leadership transition within Sudan’s ruling military council, following several military setbacks against the RSF.
Sudan’s political and military elites, as well as the general public, are divided over proposed ceasefire talks in Switzerland. Some support participation, while others reject any negotiations with the RSF, the powerful faction that rebelled against Al-Burhan’s rule last year.
Al-Atta, who serves as the military’s assistant commander-in-chief, is a prominent and controversial figure within the junta, officially known as the Transitional Sovereignty Council. He works closely with Lieutenant General Ibrahim Jaber, among others, who wield significant influence behind the scenes.
Al-Atta’s remarks come in the wake of an alleged assassination attempt on Al-Burhan, which the army has blamed on the RSF, despite doubts about the group’s ability to carry out such an attack in that region.
Last Monday, Al-Burhan received a call from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who emphasized the importance of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) participating in the ceasefire talks in Switzerland. The U.S. has offered to mediate these talks. In response, Al-Burhan stressed that his concerns must be addressed before any negotiations can proceed, according to a rare post on his official account on X (formerly Twitter).
Succession in the SAF
If Al-Atta’s account is accurate, it suggests that Al-Burhan does not view Malik Agar as a viable successor. Agar, who was appointed deputy chairman of the Sovereignty Council last year, replaced RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in the role. Although Agar often acts as Sudan’s vice president in protocol, his background as a former rebel leader and head of a secular political party makes him an unlikely candidate to lead a military regime with deep ties to political Islam and Omar Al-Bashir’s former Islamist government.
Instead, succession might pass to another military figure, such as Shams Al-Din Kabbashi or another member of the Sovereignty Council. If Kabbashi were to assume power, he would become Sudan’s first ethnic Nuba leader, coming from South Kordofan, a region captured by SPLM-North last year. Kabbashi is considered a more competent military leader than Al-Burhan, but his minority status could limit his influence over the military and national security services, both of which have strong ties to Sudan’s former ruling party and the Islamist political movement rooted in the country’s north and east.
Kabbashi has experience in complex negotiations, having represented the military in talks with political parties, protest leaders, and trade unions following the ouster of Al-Bashir in 2019. He also led the SAF delegation in recent negotiations with the SPLM-North rebel group, although those talks eventually broke down.
Al-Atta’s Commitment to War
Al-Atta’s remarks seem aimed at portraying the Sudanese military as uninterested in retaining power once the current conflict ends. He claims that the military’s sole objective is to defeat the RSF and then transfer power to a civilian administration. “We do not seek to rule—neither myself, Al-Burhan, nor any member of the Sovereignty Council. We dream of the day when Sudan is safe and stable so we can hand over the trust,” Al-Atta declared.
Al-Atta has previously stated that the war could last 100 years and that the military should never negotiate. In his latest interview, he reiterated his opposition to negotiations, asserting, “The view and decision of Al-Burhan, the Sovereignty Council, the government, and the people is to continue the war and win it, or the [RSF] surrender.”
He also falsely claimed that the RSF has been weakened and boasted that the SAF has recently received significant new arms supplies, vowing to continue the war until the RSF is completely defeated or surrenders.
Criticism from Anti-War Leaders
Khalid Omar Yusuf, a politician from the Sudanese Congress Party and a leading member of the anti-war Taqaddum Coalition, issued a strong rebuke to Al-Atta following the general’s interview. Yusuf, a former cabinet minister, criticized Al-Atta’s comments as “comedic,” given the tragic reality of the ongoing war.
Yusuf mocked Al-Atta for his inconsistent predictions about the war’s duration and accused the military leaders of pursuing a “nihilistic path” that leads only to more destruction and suffering. He contrasted the current military government’s incompetence and corruption with the record of the civilian-led government that briefly ruled Sudan before the 2021 coup, highlighting achievements like internal peace, debt forgiveness, and improved foreign relations.