Burhan Pledges Immunity for National Dialogue, Rules Out RSF/Hemedti Return to Power

Speaking early Saturday, August 15, 2026 during celebrations marking the Sudanese Armed Forces' 72nd anniversary, Sovereign Council chief and army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan approved an independent national mechanism to run an 'inclusive Sudanese dialogue' aimed at a comprehensive national consensus, pledging the state would provide logistical, legal, political, and security guarantees without organizing the process or dictating its outcomes. He said participants would receive temporary immunity — a suspension, not a pardon, of criminal proceedings against those facing charges — and that statements made during dialogue sessions could not be used as grounds for prosecution, without affecting the rights of complainants. Al-Burhan said the army was ready to engage with any serious peace initiative but would not accept an 'incomplete peace' that returned the RSF and its leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) to power, stipulating that peace must begin with RSF forces withdrawing from cities and gathering in designated areas, followed by the return of displaced people and refugees, before any discussion of integrating RSF fighters who had not committed crimes. An African Union Peace and Security Council delegation was expected in Khartoum for three days of talks with government officials and civil society groups.