Sudan’s Commander-in-Chief Threatens to 'Crush' Rapid Support Forces

Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)
Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)
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Sudan’s Commander-in-Chief Threatens to 'Crush' Rapid Support Forces

Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)
Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)

Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman and Sudanese Army Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan reiterated his unwavering commitment to eradicate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its supporters.

Burhan was speaking at the First Infantry Division in Wad Madani. He said the “battle of dignity” will continue until “Sudan is cleaned,” asserting that the Council and its supporters who believe in the unity of Sudan will “crush the enemy” and destroy its followers.

Since last April, the Army and the RSF have been fighting, and the battles have spread to large parts of the country, inflicting heavy losses.

Estimates indicate the number of civilian deaths was about 9,000, including women, children, and the elderly. Over six million persons have been displaced because of the clashes.

Burhan strongly condemned the civil opposition, asserting that solutions would not come from abroad and couldn’t be imposed on the country.

“The solution lies with the Sudanese people at home.”

The commander asserted that power can’t be achieved through war, adding that if any entity is wrong it thought it could rule the country after plundering its resources and killing its people.

Burhan addressed the “supporters of the Rapid Support,” namely politicians, saying the people will reject them, just as they did with the insurgents.

Referring to the Jeddah negotiations sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the US, Burhan reiterated that the RSF must exit the “combat zones,” stating that they headed to the talks with “open hearts” aiming to achieve peace in the country.

However, he noted that negotiations that do not meet the desire of the Sudanese people will not be acceptable, and talks that do not include the exit of forces from the combat zones will never be good.

Burhan welcomed the UN Security Council resolution to end the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), warning the new Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Ramtane Lamamra, of facing “the same fate as his predecessors” if he aligns with a party to the conflict.

“We do not refuse to work with the UN, but we require a neutral mission to help us restore security and stability in Sudan,” asserted Burhan, welcoming the new Envoy.



Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
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Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)

Qatar is ready to invest in Syria's energy sector and ports, the de facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said after meeting a senior Qatari official in Damascus on Monday, as his new administration widened contacts with Arab states.

Sharaa also received Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, the first Arab foreign minister to visit Damascus since the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago. Safadi said Jordan was ready to help Syria rebuild.

The meetings further widened the diplomatic contacts of the new administration established after Sharaa's HTS, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, led a decisive offensive that overthrew Assad after more than 13 years of war.

The end of Assad's rule has upended the geopolitics of the Middle East, dealing a major blow to his ally Iran and paving the way for other states to build new ties to a country at the crossroads of the region.

Türkiye, which long backed the Syrian opposition, was the first state to send its foreign minister to Damascus.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi flew into Damascus on Monday aboard the first Qatar Airways flight to land there since Assad was toppled.

Sharaa, speaking to reporters as he stood next to Khulaifi, said that they had discussed the challenges of the coming period, and that he had invited Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to visit Syria.

"The Qatari side expressed its readiness for wide investments in Syria in many sectors, chief amongst them the energy sector in which they have great experience ... as well as the ports and airports," Sharaa said.

Khulaifi said Qatar, the world's third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), would continue to "stand alongside our brothers in Syria at this time more than any other time".

"Syria and its people need support during this crucial phase which requires the concerted efforts of everyone, especially concerning the lifting of sanctions and the upcoming developmental projects," he said.

JORDAN WILL PROVIDE AID

Syria's stability is a key security concern for Jordan, which borders the country to the south.

Safadi said he agreed with Sharaa on cooperating to counter the smuggling of drugs and weapons from Syria to Jordan - a problem for years under Assad.

Safadi also noted that ISIS, with which Sharaa's group clashed earlier in the Syrian war, remained a threat.

"Our brothers in Syria also realize that this is a threat. God willing, we will all cooperate, not just Jordan and Syria, but all Arab countries and the international community, in fighting this scourge that poses a threat to everyone," he said.

"I focused on reconstruction efforts and Jordan will provide aid," Safadi said, adding that the new Syrian administration must have the opportunity to develop its plans.

There was no immediate statement from the Syrian side on the meeting.

Sharaa, who met senior US diplomats last week, severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.