Sudan's Al-Burhan: No Surrender in Negotiations

Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, emphasized on Tuesday that the military will not succumb to any blackmail in negotiations, asserting that they will not lose the war.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has witnessed intense fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict, which began in Khartoum, has spread to vast areas of Darfur, Kordofan, Gezira, and Sennar, leading to complex humanitarian crises.

Addressing a military gathering at the Wadi Seidna base north of Omdurman, Al-Burhan stated, "We will not yield to any blackmail in negotiations that undermine the dignity and will of the armed forces or fail to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people."

He reiterated the armed forces' refusal to negotiate with what he termed the "enemy"—a reference to the RSF—amid ongoing violations. He added, "Our duty is to prepare for combat, and we see victory ahead of us as clearly as we see you now."

Al-Burhan called on mediators to urge mercenaries to leave civilians' homes, stating, "This country will not accommodate us in the future, it will be either us or them."

He stressed that they are advocates of peace and do not desire war, but added, "We will not negotiate in a humiliating manner and will only approach it with dignity."

International and regional parties are exerting significant pressure on both sides of the conflict to return to the negotiation table under the auspices of Saudi Arabia and the United States. However, both the army and the RSF are ignoring these calls, hoping for a decisive military victory.

In his first comment on the army's losses, including important positions in Sennar and West Kordofan, Al-Burhan stated, "We may lose a battle, but we will not lose the war. Even if we lose people, there are many Sudanese. We will not disappoint the Sudanese people; we are victorious, and this enemy and their allies will perish. We will pursue them one by one."

Al-Burhan reaffirmed his commitment to the Sudanese people to hand over a nation free of rebellion or face extinction as an armed force.

Last week, the Sudanese army lost its main base in Sennar State in southeast Sudan after the RSF took control of Singa, the state capital. Prior to this, the RSF had taken control of Al-Fula, the capital of West Kordofan State.

The war has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, including up to 15,000 people in Al-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, according to UN experts, and has displaced more than ten million people both internally and externally.