Sudan’s Al-Burhan Vows To Retake All Territory From RSF

Sudan’s military chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has vowed to take “every inch” of territory that is currently under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while rejecting negotiations to end the war in the country.

Al-Burhan was addressing a gathering in Village 5 in Merowe, in northern Sudan, according to the Sudan News Agency. Al-Burhan vowed to keep fighting as violence in Sudan’s West Kordofan state left 10 civilians dead and several more injured, a local charity group said according to Al Jazeera. The RSF carried out the attack, the group said.

The Dar Hamar Emergency Committee said in a statement that the RSF committed multiple violations against civilians in the Abu Ajal village in the southeastern countryside of En Nahud.

Massad Boulos, the US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, in a post on X on Monday, said that peace could be achieved “through an inclusive Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led national dialogue, transition toward a civilian-led government”. The remark sets out Washington’s latest public position on how the conflict should end.

Why There’s Civil War in Sudan

The civil war in Sudan started in April 2023 after months of tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF group. The war has reached 13 of Sudan’s 18 states and is the reason behind the displacement of 14 million people, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and killing tens of thousands of people.

RSF is said to be backed by the United Arab Emirates. The roots of the current crisis trace back to 2019, when widespread public protests led to the overthrow of long-serving dictator Omar al-Bashir.

After his removal, military leaders and civilian groups established a joint government to guide Sudan toward democratic elections. However, that fragile alliance was broken in October 2021, when the armed forces staged a second coup to seize sole control of the state.

That coup was orchestrated by two former allies who now lead opposing sides in the war: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the regular armed forces, and his then-deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as "Hemedti," who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The partnership collapsed when negotiations over transitioning back to civilian rule reached a deadlock. The central point of contention was a proposal to integrate Hemedti’s 100,000-strong RSF paramilitary into the regular national army, along with intense disagreement over who would command the unified force.

With both generals unwilling to relinquish their political influence, wealth, and military dominance, political dialogue quickly dissolved into mutual suspicion.