Al-Burhan reaffirms confidence in the Sudanese army’s eventual victory
July 2, 2024 (OMDURMAN- The Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, stressed on Tuesday that the armed forces will not negotiate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) until the Jeddah Agreement is implemented, affirming his confidence in defeating them.
Al-Burhan concluded a visit to the Wadi Sidna and Omdurman areas on Tuesday evening, where he inspected the Sudanese forces stationed there and praised the recent attacks carried out by the army against the RSF in Al-Doha, west of Omdurman.
He seized this visit, which came after the RSF took control of Sinjah, the capital of Sennar State, to reiterate the army’s determination to defeat the “enemy” and refuse negotiations while they continue their attacks and occupy Sudanese territory. He renewed his pledge to cleanse all of Sudan of “the mercenaries of the terrorist militia.”
Addressing a military gathering at the Wadi Sidna military base north of Omdurman, al-Burhan said, “We are continuing in this battle until victory, and I repeat once again that we will not negotiate with an enemy who attacks us and occupies our lands.”
Conditions for negotiations
Al-Burhan said that despite ongoing international and regional pressure to resume negotiations, the Sudanese army refuses to return to Jeddah at the present time.
“We will not go to a negotiating table where they (the mediators) want to drag us by our ears, and we will not go to negotiations while the enemy still occupies our homes and plunders our wealth. We will not go to negotiations before the enemy leaves, and they (the mediators) must force them to do so if they want us to negotiate with them,” he said.
He added that “Sudan is not big enough for us and them,” calling on the Rapid Support Forces to find an alternative homeland.
He revealed that they received an offer for a ceasefire in El Fasher but rejected it, stating, “There will be no ceasefire before they leave” the capital of North Darfur.
Last month, the Security Council, in a resolution, appealed to the warring factions in Sudan to cease fire and allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in El Fasher.
International and regional parties are exerting extensive pressure on both sides of the conflict to resume the negotiations sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the United States. Both the army and the RSF are ignoring these pressures, hoping to achieve a decisive military victory and impose their conditions on the other.
Victory is ours
Addressing recent setbacks, including the loss of key bases in Sennar and West Kordofan, al-Burhan remained defiant.
“We may lose battles, but we will not lose the war. Even if we lose soldiers, the Sudanese people are numerous. And if we lose equipment, we will spare no expense in replacing it,” he stated.
His comments follow the RSF’s capture of the Sudanese army’s main base in Sinjah, Sennat state capital, last week. The RSF had previously taken control of El Fula, the capital of West Kordofan State.
Al-Burhan asserted that the majority of Sudanese citizens stand with the army, and expressed unwavering confidence in the army’s ultimate victory. “I see this victory as clearly as I see you before me now.”
He further emphasized that most Sudanese support the army, except a “small group aligned with the aggressors.” He asserted that the enemy and their allies are doomed to fail, vowing to pursue them relentlessly.
The Sudanese army accuses the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) and their allied civilian forces in Tagadum coalition of supporting the RSF, acting as their political front.
The ongoing conflict, which began on April 15, 2023, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, including an estimated 15,000 in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State, according to UN experts. It has also led to the displacement of over ten million people, both within Sudan and across borders.