A senior official of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) confirmed to Al-Arabiya on Saturday that they have no desire to continue the war in Sudan. The official expressed their readiness to return to negotiations to resolve the country’s ongoing crisis. However, they rejected any conditional calls by the Chief of the Sudanese Army, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, to return to discussions.
Earlier on Saturday, Al-Burhan told Al-Arabiya that they are “welcoming any negotiations that bring peace to Sudan.” He pledged that “once the war ends, consultations will commence regarding a civilian government managing the transitional phase.” Emphasizing the Sudanese Army’s role, Al-Burhan noted that they are adopting a “limited strategy in combat to safeguard the nation’s assets.” He underscored the army’s constitutional duty in “protecting Sudan, using and monopolizing military force.”
Al-Burhan accused the RSF of “relying on numerous mercenaries, presenting evidence to support his claims.” He further alleged that the RSF is responsible for committing crimes, stressing that no such actions involved the Sudanese Army. Al-Burhan warned that “if the war persists, it will inevitably spread across all parts of Sudan, and the armed forces are destined to triumph.”
On the same day, the Sudanese Sovereign Council reported that Al-Burhan met with Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on the sidelines of his participation in the 78th United Nations General Assembly session in New York. During the meeting, Al-Burhan emphasized the government’s strong commitment to cooperating with the ICC.
He also highlighted the Sudanese government’s efforts to deliver justice to the victims of the ongoing conflict, as well as past crimes committed in Darfur by the same groups that are systematically violating international laws in the current war in Sudan. These groups are perpetrating heinous crimes against civilians. The council’s statement cited Khan as noting that the “current crimes seem to be an extension of what happened in Darfur nearly 20 years ago.”
