On 4 July 2022, the commander of the Sudanese army and head of the Sovereign Council, Lieutenant-General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, issued a surprise statement on state television, announcing the withdrawal of the military from all political negotiations regarding the government. Burhan promised that civilians would be left to agree on an independent civilian government, pledging that the military would completely withdraw from political life with one exception: a Supreme Council of the Armed Forces would be formed whose tasks would encompass security and some foreign policy matters. Opposition f…