Al-Burhan: War in Sudan will not end until all RSF are “cleansed”

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) will not negotiate a deal with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) until the RSF Troops and the Jeddah Agreement will be implemented, stressed the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan and Commander-in-Chief of the SAF, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Al-Burhan spoke after visiting Wadi Seidna and Omdurman, where much of the war is taking place.

He stressed the army’s determination to defeat the RSF paramilitary group led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, rejected negotiations and promised to “cleanse” the entire Sudan of RSF fighters.

“We will continue this struggle until victory and I repeat once again that we will not negotiate with an enemy that attacks us and occupies our land,” he said.

Read more: RSF occupies key Sudanese capital, triggering mass displacement

No negotiations until RSF withdrawal

In addition, al-Burhan said that despite ongoing international and regional pressure to resume negotiations with the paramilitary group that once co-ruled Sudan with al-Burhan, the SAF is refusing to return to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at this time.

“We will not sit down at the negotiating table where they (the mediators) want to pull our ears,” he said, adding that the only condition under which the SAF would be willing to reach an agreement was the withdrawal of the RSF from the areas under its control.

In addition, international parties, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), called on both parties to commit to a ceasefire and allow humanitarian assistance to reach the civilian population in al-Fasher.

Referring to the UN Security Council resolution, the SAF leader said he opposed a ceasefire in the region and stressed: “There will be no ceasefire until they (the RSF) withdraw.”

In his speech, al-Burhan stressed several times that he rejects a return to a status quo that keeps both the SAF and the RSF in power. He reiterated that “Sudan is not big enough” for both parties to exist. He even suggested that the RSF should look for an alternative homeland.

Read more: Sudan’s army and paramilitary RSF use hunger as a weapon: UN experts

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister meets with Sudanese Foreign Minister

In a similar context, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with Sudan’s acting Foreign Minister Hussein Awad Ali in Moscow on Thursday.

Bogdanov underlined Moscow’s commitment to an immediate ceasefire and the start of a national dialogue between the warring parties, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

“The Russian side reiterated its principled position in support of an immediate ceasefire and the launch of a sustained nationwide dialogue to ensure the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Sudan,” the statement said.

The parties also discussed and debated other issues related to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, which have improved recently.

Read more: Sudan signs multifaceted agreement with Russia that includes a naval base