Sudan Military Chief Yasir Alatta Dares KDF to a Fight With His Troops

The Sudan Armed Forces’ General Yasser Al-Atta has challenged Kenyan President William Ruto to bring the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) to battle with his troops in an escalation of tension that has been brewing for several months. 

In a video shared online, General Al-Atta mocks Ruto and advises him not to tag along with East African forces who have been conducting a joint operation in the troubled Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The SAF has rejected Ruto as a mediator of the ongoing conflict and instead calls for South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit to lead the mediation team. The Sudanese military rulers have also accused an unnamed Gulf country of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). 

General Al-Atta emphasizes that the army’s ultimate goal is to preserve a united Sudan free from the Janjaweed menace and that they do not seek to govern the country, but instead want political forces to reach an agreement and govern it. The military in Khartoum has initiated a ground attack against the RASF militia while simultaneously creating training facilities for potential soldiers in different parts of Sudan. The Forces for Freedom and Change coalition, which is advocating for democracy, is holding its first meeting since the war began in Cairo. During the meeting, the leaders are anticipated to reveal a plan for the establishment of a new political system that will result in the installation of a civilian transitional government.  

“We, as soldiers, do not aspire to govern; rather, the political forces have to reach an agreement and govern the country, but we tell them that Sudan is not a game for every unscrupulous politician, profiteer, and mercenary,” General Alatta stressed.