Sudan's top general says military committed to civilian rule

Sudan's top general on Friday declared the military's commitment to a civilian-led government, an apparent bid for international support days after brutal fighting between his forces and a powerful paramilitary group derailed hopes for the country's democratic transition.

Sudan's top general on Friday declared the military's commitment to a civilian-led government, an apparent bid for international support days after brutal fighting between his forces and a powerful paramilitary group derailed hopes for the country's democratic transition.

In his first speech since the conflict engulfed Sudan nearly a week ago, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan pledged the military would prevail and secure the vast African nation's "safe transition to civilian rule." But for many Sudanese, Burhan's claim rang hollow 18 months after he joined forces with his current rival to seize power in a coup that cast aside Sudan's pro-democracy forces.

Burhan's announcement came on the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan and its month of fasting. The day -- typically filled with prayer, celebration and feasting -- was a sombre one in Sudan, as gunshots rang out across the capital of Khartoum and heavy smoke billowed over the skyline. Mosques held mass morning prayers inside to protect worshippers from the intensified fighting, which so far has killed some 300 people.

"We are confident that we will overcome this ordeal with our training, wisdom and strength," Burhan said in his speech, vowing to preserve "the security and unity of the state."

"Ruin and destruction and the sound of bullets have left no place for the happiness everyone in our beloved country deserves," he added.

The video marked the first time Burhan has been seen since violence erupted in Khartoum and other areas of the country.

The explosions and gunfire rocking Khartoum on Friday followed frenzied international calls for a holiday ceasefire. After the United Nations and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged a respite from the spiraling violence, Burhan's military claimed Friday the sides had agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire. Its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, also promised to stop fighting for the three days of Eid al-Fitr to allow for evacuations and safe corridors. But such proposed pauses in the fighting have repeatedly collapsed over the past week.