Sudan's Al Burhan in Uganda for talks to rally regional support

The General has visited Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, South Sudan and Eritrea in the last month

Sudanese Armed Forces chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Khartoum in December 2022. AP Photo

Sudanese Armed Forces chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan arrived in Uganda on Saturday on an official visit for talks with President Yoweri Museveni.

Gen Al Burhan, Sudan's military leader, is seeking to rally regional support at a time when the army is locked in a civil war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The meeting is intended to strengthen relations between the two countries and address issues of mutual concern, the media office of Sudan's Sovereign Council said.

Gen Al Burhan is accompanied by Sudan's acting Foreign Minister Ali Sadeq and intelligence chief Ahmed Mufaddal.

Gen Al Burhan visited Ankara on Wednesday, where he held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Since late last month he has visited Egypt, South Sudan and Eritrea – three of the country's seven neighbours – as well as Qatar.

The war, which began in April and is centred in Khartoum and the western Darfur region, has created a major humanitarian crisis, with more than five million people displaced and more than 5,000 killed.

The conflict between the RSF and the army is widely regarded as a fight for political and military supremacy between the army and the RSF commanded by Gen Mohamed Dagalo.

Gen Al Burhan's foreign visits are seen as an attempt to rally support as the nation's ruler at a time when the RSF is coming under increasing criticism for its alleged abuse of civilians in Khartoum and Darfur. Its members are accused of looting, sexual assaults and targeting civilian members of ethnic African communities in Darfur.

Sudan's African Union membership was suspended in 2021 when Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo jointly seized power in a coup that toppled a civilian-led government and derailed Sudan's democratic transition.