Al-Burhan says battle with RSF will end only with end of rebellion

January 16, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said on Friday that the war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will continue until the “rebellion” and its supporters are eliminated.

Addressing worshippers during a visit to the Ad Babiker suburb east of the capital, Khartoum, Burhan emphasized that the “Battle of Dignity” remains ongoing. He stated that the conflict, which began in April 2023, would not conclude until the RSF and those backing them are defeated.

The Sovereign Council head urged Sudanese citizens during his speech in the East Nile locality to unite to secure and protect the country. He asserted that the Sudanese people would not accept “injustice or humiliation” and rejected the imposition of external solutions or values. Burhan added that the nation’s customs and traditions remain a red line that no party would be permitted to sabotage.

Diplomatic deadlock

The General’s hardline stance comes despite international pressure to reach a settlement. A “Quad” group, comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, has previously proposed an initiative to end hostilities. That plan centres on a humanitarian truce as a preliminary step toward a permanent ceasefire and an eventual transition to civilian rule.

However, the Sudanese government has countered with its own peace roadmap, which it presented to the UN Security Council last December. The government’s proposal calls for a comprehensive ceasefire to be jointly monitored by the United Nations, the African Union, and the Arab League.

A central condition of the government plan is the simultaneous withdrawal of the RSF from all occupied residential and urban areas. Under this proposal, RSF fighters would be required to assemble in specific, designated camps rather than maintaining their current positions.