KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council has denied reports about a meeting between its head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Islamic movement leaders.

Sudan Tribune news portal, citing sources, said al-Burhan had met with Islamist leaders, including Secretary-General of the Islamic Movement Ali Karti, in the city of Port Sudan.

The broadcaster said talks between the two sides allegedly dwelt on the ongoing conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

In a statement, the Sovereign Council termed the reports as “completely false”, accusing the Sudan Tribune portal of “spreading rumors and lies.

Karti, a former foreign minister, had served in the government of former President Omar al-Bashir, who was outed by the military in 2019.

On Thursday, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Karti and two companies over their links to the RSF.

The sanctions block all property in the US and entities owned by Karti, Sudan-based information company GSK Advance Company Ltd, and Aviatrade LLC company for actions that threaten stability in Sudan.

Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Burhan, and the RSF since April, in a conflict that has killed 5,000 and displaced more than 5.2 million, according to UN figures.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi Arabian and US mediators have failed to end the violence.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi