Sudan's Al-Burhan Rejects Peace Talks, Commits to Total Military Victory Against RSF

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Transitional Sovereignty Council, has explicitly ruled out negotiations with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), pledging to reclaim all national territory by force. Speaking in Northern State, al-Burhan dismissed talk of peace as "nonsense" and insisted on a military solution to "clear the rebellion." This hardline stance comes despite renewed diplomatic pressure from the United States and a worsening humanitarian crisis that has displaced approximately 13 to 14 million people. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues, with reports of deadly RSF drone strikes in Damazin and civilian casualties in West Kordofan as the army advances toward En Nahud.

// Background

The civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 due to a power struggle between General al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ('Hemedti') over the integration of the paramilitary force into the national army. This conflict followed a 2021 military coup that dismantled a fragile power-sharing agreement between military and civilian leaders established after the 2019 ousting of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir.

// Key Developments

• Al-Burhan rejects negotiations, labeling them "nonsense" and insisting on total military victory to remove the RSF.
• The conflict has displaced between 13 and 14 million people and killed tens of thousands since April 2023.
• RSF drone strikes in Damazin, Blue Nile state, killed four women and damaged a mosque and a technical college.
• US Senior Adviser Massad Boulos met with al-Burhan in Egypt to advocate for a civilian-led transition and a 90-day truce.
• Sudanese army reports strategic advances in North and West Kordofan, moving toward the cities of En Nahud and Al Khuway.