KHARTOUM, Sudan 

Sudan’s army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan said the military will only hand over power to an elected government.

“The armed forces are united and are not afraid of any party,” al-Burhan said during a military graduation ceremony late Saturday.

“The army will continue to serve the country and maintain its security and stability,” he added.

Al-Burhan, the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, is facing criticism from Sudanese politicians, who accuse the general of weakening the army to serve tribal militias and the Rapid Support Forces under his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Sudan has been in turmoil since Oct. 25, 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political groups as a “military coup.”

Prior to the military takeover, Sudan was governed by a sovereign council of military and civilian officials tasked with overseeing the transition period until elections in 2023.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar