Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was seen outside his headquarters Thursday for the first time since fighting with paramilitaries erupted more than four months ago, army videos showed.
Some of the footage filmed before dawn and posted on the army's Facebook page showed Burhan speaking to soldiers, with the caption indicating that he was at the Wadi Seidna air base north of Khartoum.
In separate daytime images posted later, he is seen surrounded by civilians in the capital's twin-city of Omdurman, where residents also reported fighting on Thursday.
AFP could not verify the footage or images but the agency's fact-checking department was able to determine that they had never been posted online before and therefore could very well have been taken on Thursday.
Images of Burhan have rarely been released since fighting erupted on April 15 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Previous images showed Burhan inside the army headquarters in Khartoum, over which the two sides have waged fierce battles for control.
The latest footage comes as fighting rages around a key military base in the capital's south.
The army has put out several statements and videos saying it has repelled RSF attacks since Sunday against Al-Shajara base but the paramilitaries claim they have taken control of much of it since Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, the RSF said 2,500 fighters from a movement led by former rebel leader Malak Agar, recently named by Burhan as his deputy to replace Daglo, had pledged allegiance to the paramilitaries.
The war between the rival generals has killed thousands and devastated infrastructure in already impoverished Sudan, and has been concentrated mostly in Khartoum and the war-scarred Darfur region.
Conservative estimates from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project say that nearly 5,000 people have been killed since then. But the battles have prevented the recovery of the bodies of many others thought to have been killed.
According to United Nations figures, in the four months since the fighting broke out, more than 4.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
The UN children's fund UNICEF said on Thursday that the fighting made "an average of more than 700 children newly displaced every hour".
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Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Defense Industry Analyst: 9/10Stock Market Analyst: 6/10General Industry Analyst: 8/10Analyst Summary
: This article discusses the recent sighting of Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al Burhan outside his headquarters, which has been the site of a months-long battle between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The sighting is significant as images of Burhan have rarely been released since the clashes began in April. The article also notes that fighting continues around a key military base in Khartoum, and that 2,500 fighters from a movement led by former rebel leader Malak Agar have pledged allegiance to the Rapid Support Forces. These developments have major implications for the defense, stock, and industry sectors of Sudan. Over the past 25 years, the country has become increasingly militarized, with a focus on security and stability. This article represents a continuation of this trend, as the battle between the army and paramilitary forces has highlighted the ongoing disunity and instability in Sudan. There may be potential implications for the stock market due to the perception of ongoing instability, as well as for the general industry due to the destruction of infrastructure caused by the fighting.Investigative
Question:
- 1. What factors have contributed to the prolonged battle between the Sudan army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces?
- 2. How have the events described in the article impacted the security and stability of Sudan?
- 3.
How has the recent allegiance of 2,500 fighters to the Rapid Support Forces affected the balance of power in Sudan?4. What measures can be taken by the Sudanese government to de-escalate the military conflict?
5. What are the economic implications of the conflict for the Sudanese people?
This AI report is generated by a sophisticated prompt to a ChatGPT API. Our editors clean text for presentation, but preserve AI thought for our collective observation. Please comment and ask questions about AI use by Spacedaily. We appreciate your support and contribution to better trade news.
