Sudan's Burhan Wants Militants Marked as Terrorists

In his address at the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, 2023, Sudan's General Abdel Fattah Burhan asked the international community to label militants operating in Sudan as terrorists, "to protect the Sudanese people, the region and the world," UN News reports.

Burhan met with the presidents of the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Comoros, and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Russia in Khartoum, after his return to Sudan on Saturday September 23, 2023.

Burhan has been on a shuttle diplomacy mission since leaving his Khartoum headquarters for a new centre of command in Port Sudan, which has since come under attack from the Rapid Support Forces.

On August 28, 2023 Sudan's de facto leader of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, made his first appearance in 130 days since the conflict flared up between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He left the army headquarters in Khartoum and visited the Sedna base in Omdurman, after which he travelled via Atbara, to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, where his new office is based.

On August 29, 2023 Burhan met with Egyptian leader, President Abdel Fattah Sisi to discuss the way forward for peace in Sudan.

On September 4 Burhan made a second trip, to South Sudan, where he had discussions with President Salva Kiir in Juba.

Burhan's third trip saw him visit Doha, Qatar on September 7, where he met with Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. Burhan is aiming to secure regional support against the RSF, and legitimacy for his rule, Al Jazeera reports.

In his fourth high profile diplomatic visit in two weeks, Burhan visited Eritrea on September 11, where he met with President Isaias Afwerki. For his fifth trip, Burhan flew to Turkey on September 13, for discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on "bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them", Burhan's office said.

Voice of America reported that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces laid out conditions for ending its conflict with the country's army. The RSF said it wants a peaceful solution and a return to civilian government. In a statement, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said his group is ready to resolve the conflict with Sudan's Armed Forces peacefully, with a settlement that would lead to civilian rule.

Fighting between the Sudanese Army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has displaced millions of people, with many fleeing across the border to safety.