Sudan army chief's Islamist ties complicate peace efforts

The already Herculean task of putting an end to the long-running war in Sudan is being further complicated by army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan's complex relationship with Islamists, whom he relies upon for support.

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People who fled the Zamzam camp rest in a makeshift encampment in an open field near the town of Tawila.

(AFP)

The camp has seen its influence grow since the start of the war, supplying fighters and shaping the strategy of de facto leader Burhan, who since April 2023 has battled his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

But with mediators now pushing for an end to the fighting, analysts say the Islamists fear a peace deal and the return of civilian government will sideline them once again.

"The Islamists are very upset at the prospect of a ceasefire. They want the war to continue as much as possible," Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair told AFP.

Burhan welcomed a recent promise by US President Donald Trump made at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to use his influence to end the war, but the military chief has so far rejected mediators' ceasefire proposals.

The United Nations, diplomats and analysts, meanwhile, have all warned that the war will not end until external forces stop fuelling the violence.

But Burhan must also carefully navigate inside his own camp, including the Islamists, without whom he could lose support and territory in the two-thirds of the country his forces still hold.