Saudi Arabia ties Sudan military support to reshaping balance of power: report

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia has expanded its role in Sudan beyond military support, conditioning continued assistance on a reordering of power inside the country, according to a report by the France-based outlet Africa Intelligence. Riyadh has maintained backing for the Sudanese army while pressing for changes in the internal balance of forces, the report said. As part of that effort, Saudi Arabia has offered financial incentives to encourage field commanders who broke away from the Rapid Support Forces to rejoin the army. The report said Brigadier General Nur Ahmed Adam, known by the nickname "Nur Kubbe," joined the army with his fighters and military equipment for about $2.5 million. Another commander, Ali Rizkallah, known as "Safna," received between $800,000 and $2.5 million before joining the army in May, the report added. Beyond recruiting defectors, Saudi officials are pursuing a wider political plan to reshape influence within the Sudanese Armed Forces and limit the role of the radical Islamist movement known as "Bara bin Malik," which is on the U.S. terrorism list. Saudi officials told Sovereignty Council Chairman and army commander General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that continued political and financial support would depend on weakening the Islamist current inside the military, according to the report. Burhan is said to have acknowledged the difficulty of meeting that demand under current conditions, citing the absence of political alternatives capable of managing the transition. The report also said Saudi Arabia has opened contact channels with civilian figures within the "Sumud" alliance linked to former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, seeking to build a political base that could play a role in possible transitional arrangements.