Sudanese President: Bashar al-Assad will not leave power without force

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will not leave power without force, adding that it is likely that he will continue to fight until he is killed.

In remarks to Saudi Okaz newspaper, Bashir described his country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia as “friendly and brotherly and very excellent”.

Bashir stressed that the armies of 20 Arab and Islamic nations participated in the North Thunder exercise in Saudi Arabia, which he said is the first time that Arab countries have overcome their differences and joined forces as an Islamic component.

Bashir said Sudan’s relationship with the US has not improved and that he does not recognize the International Criminal Court, which accuses him of genocide.

Bashir also described the state of South Sudan as a “failed state”.

Bashir noted that he had close ties in the past with Yemen’s ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, adding that Saleh could not bear being removed from power.