Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan writes in the Wall Street Journal that the war began when Janjaweed militias revolted in Khartoum and attacked the state, stressing it is not an army–democracy clash but a crisis caused by an illegal, externally backed militia.

Burhan says the militias have committed widespread civilian abuses and systematic urban violence, threatening the country’s unity and stability, and warns that a parallel armed group would undermine any civilian transition.

He says any political solution must disband and disarm the militias, with eligible members professionally reintegrated into society, arguing this is the only path for Sudan to achieve stability and a rule-of-law–based democratic course.