Sudan: Army insists victory isn’t won until militia group surrender

The chief of the army in Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, vowed that his forces will continue fighting until the militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) lay down their weapons, ruling out any possibility of negotiation.

According to The New Arab on March 30th, Burhan declared that peace in Sudan is only possible “if this militia lays down its arms.”

He pledged to pursue the RSF relentlessly, stating, “We will neither forgive, nor compromise, nor negotiate… Victory will be complete when the last rebel has been eradicated from the last corner of Sudan.”

His speech followed a symbolic return to the presidential palace, which had been under RSF control since war broke out nearly two years ago, as reported by Maghrebi on March 21st.

Stepping off a military aircraft, Burhan kissed the ground and raised a clenched fist before walking through the gates.

After nearly two years of the civil war, the army has recently made significant gains in the capital as well as pushing through central Sudan.

The advancements in Khartoum saw government forces reclaim the presidential palace, the airport, and other strategic sites.

Despite the setback, RSF leaders remain defiant, insisting there will be “no surrender.”

The RSF have announced a military alliance with a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which controls parts of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The group had previously fought both sides but recently signed a charter with the RSF to form a rival government.

The RSF and their allies launched drone attacks in the Blue Nile state, targeting the Damazin airport and the Roseires Dam.

The army later claimed to have shot the drones down.

The civil war has devastated Sudan, killing an estimated 150,000 people and displacing over 12 million.

The country is now fractured, with the army holding the north and east, and the RSF controlling Darfur and much of the south.

The New Arab, Maghrebi