Sudan Army Chief Bars Ex-premier From Return, Rejects Chemical Arms Probe

31 January 2026

L to R Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Sovereign Council chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. File AFP photo

January 30, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said on Friday that former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and his political allies would never be allowed to return to Sudan, rejecting opposition allegations that the military used chemical weapons during the civil war.

Speaking at a mosque in Khartoum’s al-Kalakla suburb, Burhan accused Hamdok’s Civil Democratic Alliance for Revolutionary Forces, known as “Somoud,” of exploiting the country’s humanitarian crisis and “begging” in foreign capitals while claiming to represent Sudanese interests.

“My message to certain countries that still receive and listen to Hamdok and his group is that these people are working against their country’s interests and have been expelled by the will of the Sudanese people,” Burhan said.

The comments come after Somoud said last week it had met with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague to request a committee investigate alleged chemical weapons use by the army in combat zones against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

He said allegations of chemical weapons use would find no audience in Sudan, insisting that “the people and the army are one hand to defeat the rebellion.”

Burhan urged displaced residents to return to Khartoum voluntarily, promising the restoration of electricity, water, and health services. He said he expected all displaced Sudanese to return before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in February, citing security improvements since the army ousted the RSF from the capital in March 2025.

The army chief praised al-Kalakla residents as a model for rebuilding and resisting the “terrorist militia,” his term for the RSF, which seized much of Khartoum after war erupted in April 2023.

Hamdok, who served as prime minister during a transitional period following the 2019 overthrow of Omar al-Bashir, has led opposition to the military from exile since the conflict began.