Sudan’s Burhan, from burning Port Sudan, vows ‘retribution’ and ‘victory’
May 6, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Tuesday vowed “retribution” for attacks on Sudan and said the people would be “ultimately victorious,” speaking as smoke rose from burning fuel depots in Port Sudan after recent air attacks.
In a video message, with smoke from the burning depots visible behind him, Burhan said: “We will proceed towards achieving our goals, which are to defeat the militia – meaning the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – and to defeat those who support and assist them.” He added, “We say to everyone who attacked the Sudanese people that the hour of retribution will come.”
Burhan’s remarks followed Sudan’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, whom it accuses of backing the RSF in a two-year war against the army. The decision came after three days of drone attacks that targeted Port Sudan’s harbour and other vital facilities, according to Sudanese authorities.
Burhan said the Sudanese were “a conscious people, with roots striking deep into human history… undeterred by such incidents and unfrightened by these calamities. They are a teaching and fighting people who have made history and civilizations.”
He said that “vital installations… belong to the people, who built and will rebuild them. Any destruction… will only increase the people’s strength, patience, and cohesion.”
“We in the armed forces, the supporting forces, and the popular resistance are all united… to deter this aggression,” Burhan said. He added that the Sudanese people “made history and will rewrite it; they are a steadfast and patient people who will not be defeated… And we will proceed towards achieving our goals of defeating this militia and defeating those who support and assist it.”
Civil defence teams were still battling on Tuesday to extinguish fires that had raged in the fuel depots since dawn on Monday, amid fears of an environmental and health catastrophe in the coastal city, a haven for hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
In a statement, the RSF called for “a comprehensive peaceful solution that ends historical imbalances and establishes a new state not dominated by a specific faction or elite,” and ensures “fair and equitable participation for historically marginalized regions.”
The RSF statement added that “the continuation of this war only serves the Islamists who have returned to power over the ruins of a torn and destroyed homeland,” and that it “will not allow Sudan to become a new destination for the Houthis, similar to what is happening in Yemen.”
Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok described the developments as “dangerous,” calling on the army and RSF leaders to immediately cease hostilities to preserve Sudanese lives and the country’s unity. Hamdok also appealed to regional and international bodies to increase pressure on both sides to stop the war.
Port Sudan has served as a temporary seat of government and a hub for U.N. agencies, diplomatic missions, and humanitarian operations. Before the recent air attacks, it had been relatively unscathed by the two-year conflict.