The Sudanese army chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, said today, Saturday, that the army will leave the political arena after the elections scheduled for 2023, adding that there are “positive indications” related to the international community’s renewed support for Khartoum.
Al-Burhan said in an interview with Reuters that "when an elected government comes, the army and regular forces will not have a role in political affairs," noting that this is the normal situation and what has been agreed upon.
Al-Burhan, who also chairs the Sovereignty Council, stressed that the dissolved National Congress Party will not be part of the transitional phase in any way.
On November 21, an agreement was signed with the civilian Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, who returned to his position after spending about a month under house arrest, and is expected to form a government "all technocrats", according to Al-Burhan.
Al-Burhan also indicated that Sudan is committed to achieving justice, and said, "We have agreements with the International Criminal Court to appear before the judiciary or the court. We are committed to achieving justice and holding criminals accountable."
In another statement to Agence France-Presse, Al-Burhan said that "the international community, including the African Union, is looking at what will happen in the coming days."
"I think that there are positive indications that things will return soon (to what they were)," he added. "The formation of the civilian government will certainly restore things to normal."
About six weeks after the coup - which Al-Burhan considered a way to "correct the course of the revolution" that toppled former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 - the World Bank's aid to Khartoum is still suspended, while Sudan's membership in the African Union is suspended.