The army chief’s statement came amid reports of civilian deaths in West Kordofan and the displacement of thousands in Blue Nile state.
Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the armed forces would retake “every inch” of territory held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rejecting negotiations as a way to end the war. Speaking to a gathering in Village 5 in the northern locality of Merowe on Tuesday, he said the military campaign would continue until the RSF was removed from Sudan, according to the Sudan News Agency.
The Sudanese army and the RSF have been at war since April 2023. The conflict intensified after the groups’ leaders disagreed over plans to integrate the RSF into the army. UN and international estimates put the death toll in the tens of thousands and the number of people displaced at about 13 million.
Al-Burhan’s comments came amid new reports of violence and displacement. Ten civilians were killed and several others wounded in an RSF attack in West Kordofan state, according to a local charity group. The Dar Hamar Emergency Committee accused the RSF of multiple violations against civilians in Abu Ajal village, southeast of En Nahud.
The RSF has been building up its forces in West Kordofan as the Sudanese army advances towards En Nahud and Al Khuway after gains in neighbouring North Kordofan. The supplied report does not describe an independent verification of the alleged attack or the accusations against the RSF.
More than 5,500 people were displaced from villages in Blue Nile state over three days as security deteriorated, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, an envoy of US President Donald Trump said Sudanese parties should take the lead in peace talks. Massad Boulos, the US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, wrote on X on Monday that peace could come through an inclusive national dialogue led by Sudanese people and a transition to civilian rule.
Last month, the US State Department said neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the RSF nor their leaders represented legitimate constitutional authority in the country. The Al Jazeera report sets out opposing approaches to ending the war: al-Burhan insists on continuing the military campaign, while the US envoy advocates a Sudanese-led negotiation process.