KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudan’s army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the military does not have political ambitions.

“We are not driven by political ambitions and we don’t seek to run for elections,” al-Burhan said in a ceremony in the Nile River State in northern Sudan.

“We only care for the interests and affairs of the Sudanese people,” he added.

The army chief went on to call on Sudanese politicians “to pay attention to the issues of people and steer away from issues that do not serve this goal.”

On December 5, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement meant to resolve Sudan’s months-long crisis.

The deal pledges a 2-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime minister by the political parties that signed the agreement.

It also calls for the reform of the military and defense sector, unifying the military and integrating the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force, into the army.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a "military coup."