Sudan’s military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Wednesday when two drones struck an army graduation ceremony in the eastern region of Jabait.
The attack, blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), killed five people and injured several others.
The RSF, however, denied responsibility for the attack, despite being embroiled in a 16-month conflict with the military for control of the country.
The group has agreed to participate in US-mediated talks next month, but General Burhan has vowed to crush his opponents and ruled out negotiations.
The attack occurred just a day after General Burhan’s government agreed to join mediation talks in Geneva on August 14.
Previous attempts at peace talks have failed, with both sides refusing to honor their commitments. The conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, displacing over 10 million people.
Video footage from the ceremony shows military graduates marching before the sound of the drone strike. General Nabil Abdallah, army spokesman, praised God that General Burhan and other commanders were unharmed, despite the attack.
