Sudan's Sovereign Council Chairperson Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attended an event in the capital, Ankara, over the weekend following a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday. Al-Burhan, whose country is mired in internal conflict, praised Türkiye’s support for Sudan's stability.
The Sudanese general joined Sudanese citizens living in Türkiye, Turkish academics and representatives of civic society organizations at the Sudanese Embassy in the capital.
Speaking there, Burhan said Turkish-Sudanese relations were built on brotherhood and that they sought to strengthen their strategic partnership. "President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lately raised the issues about Sudan internationally and we know how much importance he attaches to Sudan. We want to remain in solidarity with the people of Türkiye and the government,” he said.
Burhan underlined that they had "hundreds of thousands of martyrs” in Sudan, but their armed forces remained united in the conflict. "There have been many initiatives by other countries to end this, but we will continue until insurgents abandon arms,” he said, assuring that victory was "near.” He said they valued Türkiye’s call for peace.
Burhan also discussed commercial relations between the two countries and indicated they may lift the visa requirement for Turkish businesspeople in the future. "In the future, we will need Türkiye’s strength and capacity for the reconstruction of Sudan,” he said.
The devastating war in Sudan has killed more than 40,000 people according to U.N. figures, but aid groups say the true number could be many times higher.
The conflict has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million people displaced, disease outbreaks and famine spreading in parts of the country.
Türkiye supports peace, stability and the preservation of Sudan's territorial integrity, Erdoğan said at the meeting with Burhan on Thursday, adding that the goal is to secure a cease-fire and build lasting peace in the country.