Sudan's military ruler sets conditions for talks
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - Sudan's military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has again set conditions for truce in the bloody war in the East African country: the surrender of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Talking tough once again on Friday, he called on everyone who can carry a weapon to join the fight against the RSF as he sets conditions for talks following proposals of the Quad of a three-month humanitarian truce.
Sudanese media outlet, Sudan Tribune, quoted al-Burhan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Army and head of the Sovereignty Council, as telling a crowd in the village of Al-Suraiha in Gezira state on Friday that the RSF and their collaborators “have no place in Sudan”.
The village of Al-Suraiha previously witnessed the killing of dozens of civilians at the hands of the RSF during its control of Gezira state, according to press reports.
Al-Burhan declared that there would be “no truce or any talk with the RSF”, setting a condition that the RSF must gather in one place and lay down their arms before any negotiation.
“We say to the mediators that dialogue will only come after the rebels lay down their weapons,” al-Burhan continued. “We will continue fighting until we exact revenge on the RSF and eliminate them.”
The Quad, which comprises the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, has proposed that a three-month humanitarian truce should be followed by a ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese army and the RSF.
But tough-talking al-Burhan said that all Sudanese had been “burned by the fires of this war”, which had left devastating effects, adding that the paramilitary RSF had “looted, abused, and killed Sudanese”.
He stated that they were “determined to end the rebellion”, noting that citizens had refused to be in RSF-controlled areas and were fleeing to areas under army control.
Sudan’s civil war pits the SAF against the RSF – once allies who turned their weapons on each other in April 2023. Fighting has displaced more than ten million people, destroyed large parts of Khartoum and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The RSF has announced that it has agreed to the humanitarian truce proposed by the Quad “in response to the aspirations and interests of the Sudanese people”.
A statement posted by the Office of the Official Spokesperson of the RSF on 6 November said the humanitarian truce is in order to address the “catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the war and to enhance the protection of civilians”.
This will be through the completion of the provisions of the humanitarian truce agreement to ensure the urgent delivery of such assistance to all Sudanese people.
“The Rapid Support Forces also looks forward to implementing the agreement and immediately commencing discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan, in a manner that addresses the root causes of the conflicts, ends the suffering of the Sudanese people, and creates the appropriate environment for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace through the full commitment of all parties involved.”
The RSF faces accusations of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, including recent atrocities reported in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
On Friday, the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, warned that Kordofan must not become the new Darfur.
He recalled that the mass atrocities – the most serious crimes imaginable – perpetrated in El Fasher were “predictable” and “could have been avoided”, but that the international community stood by and did nothing.
Meeting in a special session in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council heard a new cry of alarm from Mr. Türk, who denounced the escalating violence in the Kordofan region of central Sudan. "All the signs are there: bombings, blockades, people driven from their homes, blatant disregard for civilian life," he declared, reiterating that "international law must not be flouted before our very eyes".
By issuing this new warning, Mr. Türk said he hopes the international community will act to prevent a repeat of the "predictable scenario" of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which was captured by the RSF at the end of October after more than 500 days of siege.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week severely criticised RSF for the “terrible” things it has been doing in the war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and called for a cut off of its weapons supply.
Speaking to reporters in Hamilton, Canada, after a meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers, he said he discussed it multiple times with multiple countries adding “what’s happening there is horrifying”.
“…I think something needs to be done to cut off the weapons and the support that the RSF is getting as they continue with their advances. I think it’s telling – the humanitarian groups are telling us that some of the levels of malnutrition and suffering that they’re seeing from some of these people who have been able to flee is unprecedented, they’ve said.”
Mr. Rubio said the humanitrian groups have recorded things they’ve never recorded before.
-0- PANA MA 15Nov2025
