Sudan’s al-Burhan rejects talks, vows to retake all territory from RSF

Sudan's military commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on Tuesday rejected negotiations and pledged to seize "every inch" of territory held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), saying the army will persist with a "military option" until the RSF is removed. He made the remarks while addressing a gathering in Village 5 in the Merowe locality, according to the Sudan News Agency.

The declaration coincided with renewed violence in several regions. Local aid groups reported that at least 10 civilians were killed and others wounded in an RSF attack on Abu Ajal village in the southeastern countryside of En Nahud, West Kordofan. Observers say the RSF has been concentrating forces in West Kordofan as the Sudanese army presses forward toward the cities of En Nahud and Al Khuway following recent gains in neighbouring North Kordofan.

Separately, the International Organization for Migration said more than 5,500 people were displaced from villages in Blue Nile state over three days as security deteriorated. Humanitarian truces and attempts to pause fighting have repeatedly faltered during the multi-year conflict, contributing to a large-scale humanitarian crisis.

The army and the RSF have been locked in fighting since April 2023 after a breakdown over plans to integrate the paramilitary into the national military. United Nations and other international estimates put the death toll in the tens of thousands and the number of displaced at about 13 million. International diplomacy continues: a US presidential envoy has urged a Sudanese-led inclusive national dialogue and the US State Department recently stated that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the RSF, nor their leaders represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan.