Sudan army chief threatens to use ‘deadly force’ against RSF

The head of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has said the army has not yet used “deadly force” against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias, but it will do so “if those forces do not listen to the voice of reason.”

“The armed forces are waging this battle on behalf of their people, and they are ready to fight until the last soldier to achieve victory,” Al-Burhan said during a visit to forces stationed in the capital Khartoum yesterday.

He praised the Sudanese people for “standing” behind their army despite the suffering they have endured for nearly two months. Victory, he declared, is “inevitably close”.

Al-Burhan’s statements came minutes after the end of a temporary seven-day truce between the army and the RSF. The two sides announced an extension of the ceasefire on Monday for a period of five days.

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Despite the truces, clashes between the two sides have not stopped in Khartoum and the Darfur region.

Talks are continuing between representatives of the two parties in Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict that erupted on 15 April.

The clashes resulted in the death of 866 people and the injury of about 3,721 others, according to the Sudan Doctors Syndicate.