Written by: Badr Ahmed

The Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, affirmed that Sudan is proceeding on what he described as the path of truth and dignity that began with the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, stressing that the only option to end the conflict is to eliminate the Rapid Support Forces, rejecting any compromises or negotiations that do not include their dismantling and disarmament.

No negotiations before the Rapid Support Forces are dismantled

During a speech he delivered after Friday prayers at the Sheikh Abu Qurun Mosque in the East Nile locality, Burhan said that the Sudanese people rallied around the armed forces in what he described as an existential battle, expressing his confidence in achieving victory and stressing that the suffering of citizens would end with the elimination of the rebellion.

He added that the solution is neither middle ground nor gray, but rather lies in eradicating the rebel militia from all parts of Sudan, considering that any position that adopts neutrality in the conflict represents an abandonment of the right, as he put it.

Military victory is the way to end the war.

Al-Burhan accused the Rapid Support Forces of committing violations against civilians, pointing to what he said were killings, starvation, and targeting of infrastructure in the city of Al-Ubayyid, including electricity, water, and fuel facilities, stressing that the war is not targeting the government but the Sudanese people.

The head of the Sovereignty Council rejected any calls for negotiations that do not stipulate the dismantling of the Rapid Support Forces and the surrender of their weapons, stressing the need to hold accountable all those who committed crimes against the Sudanese people, and emphasizing that military victory is the only way to end the war and prevent a return to fighting in the future.

Al-Burhan indicated that the armed forces, according to him, were able to regain control of the states of Al-Jazirah, White Nile and Khartoum, stressing that military operations would continue until the Rapid Support Forces were expelled from the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

He also praised what he described as the popular support for the armed forces during the war, considering that the army’s strength is derived from the will of the Sudanese people, and rejected calls to restructure or dismantle the armed forces under the banner of reform.

In closing, Burhan paid tribute to the armed forces killed during the war, and praised the role of Sufi orders in consolidating the values of tolerance and moderation, stressing that Sudanese society is based on compassion and solidarity, not on extremism and division.