Sudan army chief tells U.N. envoy: no talks until RSF quits seized areas

November 30, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said on Sunday the government wants to achieve peace across the country but demanded that rival paramilitary forces withdraw from areas they control before any negotiations can begin.

Burhan, who chairs Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, met with Ramtane Lamamra, the personal envoy of the U.N. Secretary-General, who arrived in Port Sudan on Saturday for talks on ending the 19-month conflict.

“The government desires to achieve peace throughout Sudan in a way that satisfies the aspirations of the Sudanese people,” Burhan said, according to a Sovereign Council statement.

He welcomed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ interest in Sudan’s peace efforts and said the government was committed to cooperating with the United Nations to achieve security and stability.

However, Burhan reiterated his preconditions for negotiations: the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must withdraw from seized territories and gather in designated locations before talks can start. He said this was necessary to allow displaced people to return home and enable humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts.

Army leaders have insisted on achieving military victory over the RSF and holding those responsible for human rights violations accountable. They say remaining RSF members should be incorporated into integration and demobilization programs.

Lamamra told Burhan he was in Sudan to assess the political, security and humanitarian situation at Guterres’ request, the statement said.

“The opportunity is still available for a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue that will stop the bloodshed and achieve security and stability, and the United Nations is ready to provide all assistance to achieve this goal,” Lamamra said.

Efforts by the African Union, backed by the United Nations, Arab League and European Union, to bring Sudan’s warring parties to the negotiating table have so far failed.

The conflict between Sudan’s army and the RSF has killed thousands and displaced millions since fighting erupted in April 2023.