No negotiations or ceasefire until RSF is defeated – Al Burhan

No negotiations or ceasefire until RSF is defeated – Al Burhan

Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Wednesday said there would be no negotiations or ceasefire until the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is defeated.

Al-Burhan, also the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), made the remarks when addressing an army force in the River Nile state in northern Sudan, the sovereign council said in a statement.

“There will be no negotiations, no peace, and no ceasefire except after defeating this rebellion… so this country can live in peace,” Al-Burhan said.

Sudan’s military leader vowed that the army’s fight against the RSF would continue unabated until all of Sudan was free from “criminal rebels”.

“We will not stop fighting until we defeat the criminals who have ravaged the country, seized citizens’ property, committed heinous violations, and raped women in Khartoum, El Geneina, and Al Jazira,” he declared.

He highlighted that army forces are tirelessly working to maintain Sudan’s stability and ensure its unity. Al-Burhan praised the widespread response from all sectors of the Sudanese to the nation’s call and their active involvement in the Popular Resistance in support of the armed forces in the “battle for dignity against the rebel terrorist RSF militia.”

Al-Burhan’s remarks came a day after violent battles between the SAF and the RSF in North Kordofan state.

Since the conflict between the SAF and the RSF broke out on April 15, 2023, around 15,000 fatalities have been recorded, while the number of people displaced inside and outside of Sudan has reached 8.2 million, according to recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.