Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has vowed to recapture every part of the country held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as fighting intensifies across Kordofan and displacement continues elsewhere in the country.
Al-Burhan said the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) would reclaim “every inch” of territory under RSF control, signalling that the military remains committed to pursuing the war on the battlefield rather than seeking a negotiated settlement with its rival.
According to the Sudan News Agency, al-Burhan made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing a gathering in Village 5 in the northern locality of Merowe.
The comments come as the Sudanese army seeks to build on recent battlefield gains and push further into areas controlled by the RSF.
Fighting intensifies in Kordofan
The RSF has been concentrating forces in West Kordofan as the army advances towards the strategically important cities of En Nahud and Al Khuway following gains in neighbouring North Kordofan.
En Nahud has emerged as a key battleground in the struggle for control of western Sudan, with both sides seeking to strengthen their positions across the Kordofan region.
The Dar Hamar Emergency Committee has meanwhile accused the RSF of committing multiple violations against civilians in Abu Ajal village, in the southeastern countryside of En Nahud.
Sudan’s war has increasingly shifted towards Kordofan and Darfur as the army attempts to regain territory seized by the RSF during more than three years of conflict.
Thousands displaced in Blue Nile
Elsewhere, worsening insecurity has forced thousands more Sudanese from their homes.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said more than 5,500 people were displaced from villages in Blue Nile state over a three-day period amid deteriorating security conditions.
The latest displacement adds to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with millions of Sudanese uprooted since fighting erupted between the army and RSF in April 2023.
US calls for Sudanese-led political process
The United States has continued to call for a political process aimed at ending the war.
Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, said in a post on X that peace should be pursued through an “inclusive Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led national dialogue” followed by a transition towards civilian-led government.
Washington has also rejected claims by either of Sudan’s main warring factions to legitimate political authority.
The US State Department said last month that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the RSF, or their respective leaders, represented “legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan”.
The war between the SAF and RSF erupted in April 2023 following months of tensions over Sudan’s political transition and plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the regular army.
Since then, fighting has devastated large parts of the country, displaced millions of people and fuelled widespread hunger and humanitarian suffering, while repeated diplomatic initiatives have failed to secure a lasting ceasefire.
