OMDURMAN – Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said on Friday that the military would hand over the administration of the state only through “a national consensus among Sudanese,” while vowing to continue military operations against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Speaking after Friday prayers at Sheikh Al-Tayeb Mosque and Maseed in the Umm Marhi area north of Omdurman, Al-Burhan said the armed forces would continue fighting until what he described as the rebellion is defeated.
“We will never let the Sudanese people down, and we will hand over this state only through a national consensus among all Sudanese,” Al-Burhan said, adding that the military would not accept arrangements that fail to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people or guarantee the country’s security and stability.
He said the armed forces, together with allied forces, would continue military operations until “the country is cleansed of every aggressor.”
The conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has entered its third year, with fighting continuing across several fronts, particularly in Kordofan and Darfur, despite repeated regional and international efforts to broker a ceasefire.
The United Nations, the African Union and other international partners have repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and the resumption of an inclusive Sudanese-led political process, warning that the conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Al-Burhan also praised residents of northern rural Omdurman, saying the area had never fallen under RSF control and describing it as the launching point for government forces’ operations to retake Khartoum. He also commended the Sammaniya and other Sufi orders for what he described as their role in strengthening social cohesion and promoting moderate Islamic values.
His remarks come as diplomatic efforts to revive peace negotiations remain stalled, with both the SAF and the RSF continuing military operations while mediators seek to revive talks aimed at ending the conflict.
