Sudan leader rebuffs international mediation and exiled politicians, vows to fight on

OMDURMAN — Sudanese army chief Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan on Thursday rejected international mediation efforts and dismissed exiled civilian politicians, vowing to continue the war against rival paramilitary forces until they surrender.

Al-Burhan was addressing a crowd in Omdurman during a memorial marking the army’s breaking of a 10-month siege on the Corps of Engineers military district, located in central Omdurman, in February 2024.

The breakthrough marked the first major operational success for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) during its campaign to regain control of Khartoum State from the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Corps of Engineers base had been encircled by RSF forces for months, with its garrison cut off from ground supply routes. The army’s successful relief of the position was later framed by military officials as a turning point that enabled subsequent advances across Omdurman and other parts of the capital region.

During his speech, al-Burhan directed sharp criticism at Sudanese civilian political actors operating abroad, including members of the coalition associated with former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, which has called for negotiations and an end to hostilities.

He accused exiled figures of undermining Sudan’s sovereignty and attempting to influence the conflict from outside the country.

“We also have messages to send to those begging in the name of Sudan outside, insulting Sudan and the Sudanese. We tell them: do not imagine that once there is peace and the militia is brought to an end, you can just show up and trade in the name of Sudan while insulting the country and its people,” he said.

“The army and the people here will live or die together. We will prevail or fail with the people here. These people are our priority, and we will not even pay attention to those speaking from the outside,” he added.

Al-Burhan also dismissed ongoing diplomatic engagement at the United Nations Security Council, signaling continued military resistance to external pressure for negotiations or ceasefire arrangements.

His remarks reflected the army leadership’s consistent rejection of mediation initiatives involving states it accuses of supporting the RSF.

“We have noticed the meetings taking place at the UN Security Council about Sudan these days, and we have messages for those meeting there, whether it be the UN or other mediators,” al-Burhan said. “We have stated more than once that regarding the militia and its supporters—whether that is the UAE or any other country—we will not accept any mediator.”

His comments underscored the SAF’s hardline position that the conflict will not end through negotiated compromise while RSF forces remain deployed in contested urban areas. The army leadership has repeatedly framed the war as a necessary campaign to dismantle the paramilitary group’s military presence.

Reiterating his position, al-Burhan ruled out accepting any ceasefire or truce unless the RSF withdraws entirely from areas under its control and relocates to designated assembly zones under conditions defined by the army.

“We reaffirm that any truce, any ceasefire, we will not accept it until we achieve what these martyrs gave their lives for,” he stated, adding that any truce short of a full withdrawal and assembly in specific areas is rejected and unacceptable to the Sudanese people.

Al-Burhan justified the army’s refusal to negotiate by accusing RSF forces of widespread violations against civilians in areas under their control, including killings, forced displacement, and destruction of public infrastructure. He cited damage to cultural and government buildings as evidence of what he described as the militia’s destructive intent.

“Our people’s experience—from oppression, hunger, disease, killing, rape, displacement, and all the kinds of crimes they committed here in Sudan against our people, our sons, and our daughters—is why we will not accept their return,” al-Burhan said.

“When these people left, they burned the museum and they burned the Friendship Hall. They set fire to, destroyed, and burned any building belonging to the Sudanese state and its people. This shows that they have no interest in staying, and we are telling them we do not want them to return,” he added.

Drawing a contrast between civilians who remained in conflict zones and political actors abroad, al-Burhan said the army and local population shared a common fate tied to the outcome of the war. He said armed elements of the RSF would not be allowed to reintegrate as a military force.

He added that individuals associated with the RSF would only be accepted back into society if they returned unarmed and as civilians, while emphasizing that military operations would continue until the rival force is defeated.