Africa Intelligence: Riyadh Boosts Funding for Burhan to Reset Political Balances in Sudan

According to a report published by Africa Intelligence, Saudi Arabia provided financial support to facilitate the defection of two leaders from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to the Sudanese army. This support is part of an effort to reshape the military and political balance in Sudan and reduce the influence of the Islamist movement within the military establishment.

The report, citing sources, stated that the support included Major General Al-Nur Ahmed Adam, known as “Al-Nur Al-Qubba,” and Ali Rizqallah, known as “Al-Safna.” It explained that Al-Safna’s joining the army in May was part of an arrangement that included financial support ranging from $800,000 to $2.5 million, while Al-Nur Al-Qubba received approximately $2.5 million in exchange for his defection, along with a number of his men and equipment.

According to the report, Riyadh is employing a combined military and political approach to reduce the influence of Islamists within the Sudanese army and to pressure the authorities in Port Sudan to make political concessions that would pave the way for a broader settlement.

He added that Saudi Arabia conditioned its continued support for Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on the removal of Islamists from positions of influence within the army. However, according to sources, al-Burhan informed the Saudi side that he was unable to implement this step at present due to the lack of a ready political alternative.

The report also indicated that Riyadh opened channels of communication with civilian figures, including members of the “Sumud” alliance associated with former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, to discuss potential roles for them in the next phase.

Africa Intelligence concluded its report by noting that any attempt to restructure power in Sudan under al-Burhan’s leadership could face objections, as it might simply reproduce the legitimacy crisis in a different form rather than resolve it.

The recent political and military moves by the Sudanese army chief, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, are driven by significant strategic shifts occurring behind the scenes, namely Saudi Arabia’s direct financial and political involvement in reshaping the balance of power on the ground.

Regional support is no longer limited to diplomatic channels within the Jeddah platform, but has shifted to a pragmatic approach that relies on funding the military’s hard power and dismantling the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from within through the weapon of “political money” and the purchase of influential tribal and field loyalties in Darfur.

These financial flows and political support for Burhan are linked to strict strategic conditions set by Riyadh, requiring the removal of elements of the Islamist movement and the former regime from positions of influence and decision-making within the military establishment. Burhan is attempting to circumvent this approach by claiming that a civilian alternative is not yet ready, while Saudi Arabia is opening channels of communication with civilian forces (such as the “Sumud” alliance associated with Abdullah Hamdok) to create a parallel political landscape that would ensure an end to the war without reproducing the crisis of military legitimacy.

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Africa Intelligence: Riyadh Boosts Funding for Burhan to Reset Political Balances in Sudan

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