Sudan RSF leader says Khartoum withdrawal tactical

March 30, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti”, said on Sunday his forces withdrew from the capital Khartoum but vowed to continue fighting.

However, Sudanese army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said the RSF were driven out by military force and denied any deal existed for their withdrawal from positions they held.

Video footage from the Jebel Aulia crossing southwest of Khartoum showed hundreds of RSF fighters walking in long columns out of the city, which they had controlled in large parts since the war erupted between the rival forces.

In an audio recording on his Telegram channel, Hemedti attributed the withdrawal to a tactical “redeployment” decided by the RSF leadership.

Hemedti acknowledged losing control of Khartoum. “Withdrawals occurred over the past days for the repositioning of forces in Omdurman… This withdrawal came after leadership assessments, and leaving Khartoum is a collective decision. We will return again, stronger and more formidable,” he said.

He urged his fighters not to heed what he called “rumors” spread by the Islamic Movement, claiming it ran media operations in hostile countries working against Sudan’s people.

Hemedti vowed that fighting would continue. “The war is not over yet… it is still in its beginnings, and we will ultimately be victorious over the ‘satanic movement’,” he said, referring to the Islamic Movement. “We will recapture Khartoum and the 18 states.”

He stressed his refusal to negotiate with the Islamic Movement. “There is no negotiation or agreement with the Islamic Movement… we have no discussion with them other than fighting… No retreat, compromise, or agreement, whether secret or public,” Hemedti added.

The Sudanese army cleared the RSF from Khartoum city last week, reporting that thousands of RSF fighters fled via the Jebel Aulia crossing towards Omdurman to western Sudan.