Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, a member of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council who also doubles as the Assistant Army Commander, at the weekend revealed that the country’s de facto leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, told him that he wants to relinquish the top office.
Speaking during an interview on Sudan TV on Saturday, Gen. Al-Atta said he had a discussion with his boss on the matter and the latter allegedly preferred to step down in favor of Gen. Shams Al-Din Kabbashi, the deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).
“Just three or four days ago, I was talking with brother Al-Burhan by phone, and he said to me, ‘Listen, I have reached my limit. You and Kabbashi should agree so we can hand over power to him.’ I refused and told Al-Burhan not to step down until the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are defeated,” he stated.
Al-Burhan has always had a hardline stance regarding the ongoing war and has vowed not to negotiate with the RSF but rather obliterate what he refers to as invaders.
Last Wednesday, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while attending a passing out parade for officers at the Military College in the Jabeit military zone, located near Port Sudan, the new administrative capital of Sudan.
Following the attempt on his life, Al-Burhan reaffirmed that the act of violence would neither deter him nor his forces from advancing, defeating the enemy, and liberating every inch of Susan
In a press release obtained by Radio Tamazuj, Sudan’s de facto leader stated that the country is facing a significant conspiracy aimed at destabilizing and dividing the nation. He however said he is determined, in cooperation with his forces and the “honorable citizens of the country, to continue advancing and thwart these malicious plans.”
The RSF denied involvement in the drone attack on Al-Burhan and blamed it on Islamists within SAF.