Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in Sudan, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, issued on Sunday a strong warning to politicians not to interfere in the affairs of the army.
“Anyone who interferes in the affairs of the armed forces will be considered our enemy. We will cut off his tongue and hand,” Al-Burhan warned.
The Commander-in-Chief then repeated the strong warnings he addressed last week to the Islamists of ousted President Omar al-Bashir, but this time, referred to their relationship with the armed forces.
“We warned the Islamists because they are trying to infiltrate the army. We tell them: Go away, you will not be able to rule through the army,” he said.
Addressing high-ranking officers during his visit to Al-Markhayat Operational Base in Omdurman, Al-Burhan asserted he will not allow any party to work on infiltrate the armed forces.
“The army will remain a unified, independent national institution whose concern is the homeland and the preservation of its security and people,” he said.
“We will not allow any of them to exploit the Armed Forces to gain power, whether those parties are Islamists, communists, Baathists or others,” he stressed.
Regarding the political settlement mediated by the international tripartite mechanism, he admitted the presence of understandings with the opposition Freedom and Change forces, for the benefit of Sudan, stressing that there is no bilateral settlement with any party.
Al-Burhan added that the army received the draft transitional constitution proposed by the country's Bar Association and made some observations on it.
The General had described leaders of the “Freedom and Change” as patriots, saying that they promised to work for the benefit of Sudan, and not to return to power.
Commenting on the next government’s lineup, Al-Burhan stressed it must only include independent figures.
“We want a civilian government that is guarded by the people and the army,” he noted.
Also, Burhan said the Army does not want unilateral solutions but a civil rule guarded by the armed forces.
At the level of foreign affairs, the Commander-in-Chief said he seeks to establish balanced and mutually beneficial relations with regional and neighboring countries, away from tension.
