Sudan’s army claims end to paramilitary rebellion but fighting rages
Khartoum, Aug 28 (EFE).- Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, asserted on Monday that his forces had successfully “put an end to the rebellion” by the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), even as intense clashes between the two factions continued.
“Through our efforts, the armed forces have effectively quelled the rebellion, bringing the war to a close,” said the general, who leads Sudan’s Sovereign Council governing the war-torn African nation.
Burhan made the remarks during an address to army personnel at the Flamingo Naval Base in Port Sudan, the capital of the Red Sea state.
He said the army was actively working to defeat all remaining insurgents.
The declaration comes in the midst of ongoing battles between the army and the paramilitary RSF, primarily in the capital, Khartoum, and the western Darfur region.
Recent weeks have witnessed a surge in clashes, fueled by the intense struggle for control over various strategically significant fronts.
In an attempt to bolster troop morale, the military leader has conducted a series of visits to key military bases in Khartoum and the northern region.
Burhan had largely remained within the military headquarters in Khartoum since the conflict began on April 15.
But he started appearing in public after the RSF escalated its attacks to seize control of military bases in Khartoum, Nyala, and Al Foula — the respective capitals of Darfur and West Kordofan.
While speculation arose that Burhan’s movement out of the headquarters was facilitated by an agreement between the military and the RSF, he refuted these claims.
He said his departure from the army camp was a result of discussions with military leadership and denied any agreement with the paramilitary force.
Peace talks between both sides to reach a truce are still stalled.
Meanwhile, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo proposed a peace roadmap on Sunday, emphasizing a “lasting ceasefire” with the army as the initial step towards resolving the conflict and ending the power struggle.
Both al-Burhan and Daglo jointly orchestrated a military coup in October 2021 against the transitional civilian government established after the ousting of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
Over time, differences between the two generals escalated before culminating in a full-scale civil war in April after weeks of simmering tension over the integration of the RSF into the military.
Both sides have blamed each other for the war, which has claimed between 1,000 to 4,000 lives, displaced millions from their homes, and pushed nearly a million to flee across Sudanese borders. EFE
az-fa-ssk
