Sudan’s Burhan orders military out of Khartoum to curb looting

July 18, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on Friday ordered all military forces to withdraw from the capital Khartoum within two weeks, a move aimed at curbing looting and preparing for the return of civilians, a copy of the decree showed.

The order follows numerous reports of theft and looting across Khartoum by army soldiers, allied militias and other rogue elements operating in a security vacuum.

To oversee the process, Burhan formed a high-level committee chaired by Ibrahim Jabir, a member of the Sovereign Council. The committee is tasked with restoring security and basic services, according to the decree.

A copy of the decree, reviewed by Sudan Tribune, mandates the army’s general staff with “clearing Khartoum state of all combatant forces and armed entities.”

The committee is also empowered to control the “foreign presence” by deporting some foreign nationals and relocating others, clear all informal housing settlements, and restore power and water services.

The focus on foreign nationals follows earlier efforts by state authorities to register refugees after some, particularly from South Sudan and Ethiopia, were confirmed to have fought alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).