Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the Sudanese ruling Sovereign Council and army commander, said on Saturday that his military is independent and not subject to any dictates from any party.
His comments came two days after the United States imposed sanctions on Ali Karti, the foreign minister under ousted leader Omar al-Bashir, who became head of the Sudanese Islamic Movement after Bashir was toppled in 2019.
On Friday, Burhan visited the Atbara artillery base, north of Khartoum in the River Nile state, where he met with local officers. This is his second visit to the base since his withdrawal from the army command compound in the Sudanese capital on August 25.
Burhan expressed his determination to end the war in Sudan, but said he aims to remove "the cancer that has infected the body of the state," reported the Arab World news agency.
The Sovereignty Council quoted Burhan as saying that the war was "imposed on us," warning about the presence of a group that wants to "swallow" Sudan.
On April 15, heavy fighting erupted between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Response Forces (RSF) in Khartoum after weeks of tensions building between the two sides.
"We are confident of victory in the battle of dignity thanks to the people's support. This army is the army of the fatherland and there is no side or party that has power over it," Burhan stressed.
He added that the war in Sudan is being waged by two brothers who only care about their own interests, referring to RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and his brother and deputy Abdul Rahim.
Last Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on two companies, including one based in Russia, in addition to Karti, accusing them of deepening instability in Sudan.
"(Karti) and other hardline Sudanese Islamists are actively obstructing efforts to reach a ceasefire to end the current war between the Army and RSF and opposing Sudanese civilians, efforts to restore Sudan's democratic transition," the US Treasury said.
Also hit with sanctions was GSK Advance Company, a Sudan-based company the Treasury said has been used as a procurement channel for the RSF.
Meanwhile at least two people were killed and 20 others injured, including six children, during an airstrike on the Mayo neighborhood near a public hospital south of Khartoum, the South Belt Emergency Committee announced on Saturday.
The Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers announced that five civilians, including four members of the same family, were killed in artillery attacks by the RSF forces on the Omdurman region.
Armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF had resumed on Saturday in several areas of Khartoum.
