UPDATE – Sudan army chief visits Egypt on 1st trip since conflict

UPDATES WITH ARMY CHIEF’S STATEMENTS

By Behram Abdelmunim

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – Sudan's army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived in Egypt on Tuesday, for his first foreign visit since the outbreak of clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

Al-Burhan was received by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi upon his arrival at El-Alamein International Airport on the North Coast.

Speaking following his talks with the Egyptian leader, al-Burhan said the Sudanese army does not aspire to remain in power.

“What we seek is to hold free and fair elections,” he added. "We seek to complete the democratic transitional until the people of Sudan choose their ruler,” he added.

The army chief thanked Egypt for hosting thousands of Sudanese, who fled their country following the outbreak of violence there.

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that killed more than 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi and US mediators between the warring rivals had failed to end violence in the country.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that nearly four million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi