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Burhan Vows to Continue Battle to Crush Rapid Support Forces

Sudanese Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan addresses his forces in the country's east. (SUNA)
Sudanese Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan addresses his forces in the country's east. (SUNA)
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Burhan Vows to Continue Battle to Crush Rapid Support Forces

Sudanese Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan addresses his forces in the country's east. (SUNA)
Sudanese Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan addresses his forces in the country's east. (SUNA)

Sudan's Sovereign Council head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has reaffirmed on Monday that his army will continue fighting until it crushes the “rebellion,” in reference to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Since last April, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF started fighting a war that has ravaged the country.

During a visit to Kassala State where he addressed troops of the 44th Brigade in New Halfa, al-Burhan said that the battle continues until RSF are defeated.

The Sovereign Council media office said in a statement that thousands of New Halfa residents gathered to welcome the army chief, his first visit to the area since the outbreak of fighting against the RSF.

The statement added that Burhan also visited the 11th Infantry Division headquarters in Khashm Al-Qirbah in the eastern military zone.

In a related development, the governor of Khartoum State, Ahmed Othman Hamzah, affirmed that army forces are advancing on all fronts.

According to the Sudan News Agency, SUNA, Hamzah visited family members of those killed in the “Battle of Dignity."

According to international organizations, Sudan is now the largest internal displacement crisis globally hosting an estimated 9.05 million displaced persons (IDPs) as of 31 December 2023.

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UN Humanitarian Chief Urges Massive Aid Boost for Syria

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
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UN Humanitarian Chief Urges Massive Aid Boost for Syria

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP

Visiting UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called Wednesday for a massive aid boost for Syria to respond to "this moment of hope" after the ouster of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad.
"Across the country, the needs are huge. Seven in 10 people are needing support right now," Fletcher told AFP in a telephone interview as he visited Syria.
"I want to scale up massively international support, but that now depends on donors. The Syria fund has been historically, shamefully underfunded and now there is this opportunity," he said.
"The Syrian people are trying to come home when it's safe to do so, to rebuild their country, to rebuild their communities and their lives.
"We have to get behind them and to respond to this moment of hope. And if we don't do that quickly, then I fear that this window will close."
Half of Syria's population were forced from their homes during nearly 14 years of civil war, with millions finding refuge abroad.
UN officials have said a $4 billion appeal for Syria aid is less than a third funded.
"There are massive humanitarian needs... water, food, shelter... There are needs in terms of government services, health, education, and then there are longer term rebuilding needs, development needs," Fletcher said.
"We've got to be ambitious in our ask of donors.
"The Syrian people demand that we deliver, and they're right to demand that we deliver," he said. "The world hasn't delivered for the Syrian people for more than a decade."
'Test for all'
As part of his visit, Fletcher met representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the opposition group which spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad, including its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir.
Fletcher said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's new administration that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground.
"We need unhindered, unfettered access to the people that we're here to serve. We need the crossings open so we can get massive amounts of aid through... We need to ensure that humanitarian workers can go where they need to go without restriction, with protection," he said.
"I received the strongest possible reassurances from the top of that caretaker administration that they will give us that support that we need. Let's test that now in the period ahead."
Assad's government had long imposed restrictions on humanitarian organizations and on aid distribution in areas of the country outside its control.
Fletcher said that the coming period would be "a test for the UN, which hasn't been able to deliver what we wanted to over a decade now... Can we scale up? Can we gain people's trust?
"But it's also a test for the new administration," he added. "Can they guarantee us a more permissive environment than we had under the Assad regime?
"I believe that we can work in that partnership, but it's a huge test for all of us."