Sudan army chief warns UN that war could spill over in region
Sudan army chief warns UN that war could spill over in region
In his speech to the UN General assembly, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan warned the spiraling war in Sudan could spread to neighbouring countries.
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Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Sudan's army chief warned Thursday at the United Nations that months of war could spill over in the region as he urged international pressure on the paramilitary unit he is fighting.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler of Sudan since a 2021 coup, alluded to the rival Rapid Support Forces' ties with Wagner, the Russian mercenary group hit by Western sanctions over alleged abuses in Africa.
"The danger of this war is now a threat to regional and international peace and security as those rebels have sought the support of outlaws and terrorist groups from different countries in the region and the world," Burhan said.
"This is like the spark of war, a war that will spill over to other countries in the region," he said.
"Regional and international interference to support these groups is crystal clear by now. This means that this is the first sparkle that will burn the region, and will have a direct impact on regional and international peace and security."
War broke out on April 15 after the collapse of a plan to integrate the army and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Burhan's former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The fighting in Sudan has killed at least 7,500 people, according to the NGO Acled, and displaced some five million people, dealing a new, devastating blow to efforts to bring democracy to Sudan.
Burhan has increasingly been travelling around the world in what are seen as efforts to burnish his legitimacy.
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