SLM’s Minawi says not notified of Sudanese army plan to clear Khartoum

July 20, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Minni Arko Minawi, a key armed group leader allied with the army, said in an exclusive interview on Sunday that he was left unaware of a plan by the military leadership to clear all armed factions from the capital, Khartoum.

The comments from Minawi, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, highlight a potential lack of coordination within the military-led coalition that controls the city.

“I learned about the decision to clear Khartoum of fighting forces from the media,” he told Sudan Tribune. “There has been no official or unofficial communication on this matter,” he stressed.

Minawi, who is also the supervisor of the multi-factional Joint Force, noted that his group has an estimated three battalions stationed in Khartoum.

The military’s plan was established by a committee formed by Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Its mandate includes clearing the state of all “fighting forces and armed entities” within two weeks, starting from July 18.

The push to secure the capital comes amid rising complaints from residents in the city of Omdurman about a spike in armed robberies. Two people have been killed and a third injured in separate incidents in less than two weeks.

In response, police have launched security campaigns, confiscating motorcycles and unlicensed weapons to help restore order ahead of the planned return of displaced residents.

An estimated 105,000 people have returned to Khartoum since the army wrested control of large parts of it from the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF). About 3.6 million residents initially fled the city after the war between the two factions erupted on April 15, 2023.