Sudan’s Burhan says no peace until RSF is eliminated

PORT SUDAN, Sudan / ISTANBUL

There would be no peace in Sudan until the elimination of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country's Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said on Sunday. The army, under his command, has been battling the paramilitary group since 2023.

Speaking to journalists at his residence in Port Sudan, Burhan said: “There will be no peace until the RSF is eliminated, and any solution proposal that includes the RSF is nothing more than postponing the crisis. A lasting solution is to eliminate the RSF. This does not mean they all must die; it could also mean laying down their arms and surrendering.”

Burhan underlined the conflict has caused widespread destruction, resulting in significant civilian casualties and extensive material damage across the country. He added that no Sudanese citizen has been unaffected by the war and that the public remains united against the rebel group.

Addressing international efforts to broker a ceasefire, he pointed to increased calls for a truce following the fall of El Fasher in October, saying they coincided with attempts to allow the group to expand its territorial control.

“There were no ceasefire proposals during the siege of El Fasher,” he said. “After it fell, the calls increased because they want the RSF to control more areas.”

Burhan said Sudan proposed Türkiye or Qatar as mediators, but the RSF rejected the idea. He added that regional countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt could also play a role.

“We trust in God first, then in (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan,” he said.

He also stressed that the RSF and the Sudanese army are not equal forces. “The two sides fighting here are not equal. The RSF is not equal to the Sudanese army. The whole world says this,” he said.

Despite UN resolutions, Burhan said, the RSF continues to carry out attacks and smuggle weapons into Sudan, particularly into the Darfur region, without facing effective action.

“We, as the Sudanese people and the army, are determined to eliminate the RSF,” he said. “We are open to all peaceful solutions.”

Sudan has been engulfed in fighting since April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF over disputes related to unifying the military. The conflict has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with tens of thousands killed and about millions displaced.