Sudan’s Burhan: No Return to Negotiations Until RSF is Defeated

Smoke rises near Khartoum International Airport, adjacent to the Army General Command headquarters (File photo - Reuters)
Smoke rises near Khartoum International Airport, adjacent to the Army General Command headquarters (File photo - Reuters)
TT
20

Sudan’s Burhan: No Return to Negotiations Until RSF is Defeated

Smoke rises near Khartoum International Airport, adjacent to the Army General Command headquarters (File photo - Reuters)
Smoke rises near Khartoum International Airport, adjacent to the Army General Command headquarters (File photo - Reuters)

Fierce battles between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have continued in southern Khartoum, as the army sought to reclaim the strategic Jebel Aulia Dam Bridge, aiming to cut off RSF’s supply routes.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Transitional Sovereign Council, reiterated on Tuesday his rejection of negotiations through the Jeddah peace platform until the RSF is completely eliminated.

Speaking at a memorial for fallen soldiers, Burhan declared: “There will be no negotiations or return to Jeddah until the terrorist militia—meaning RSF—is defeated and fully disarmed.”

He reaffirmed the army’s commitment to “purging the country of rebels and restoring security, stability, and peace.”

Reports indicate intense clashes between the SAF and RSF near Al-Qutaynah, White Nile State, and the southern borders of Khartoum State. The army is advancing on Jebel Aulia Dam Bridge from multiple fronts to sever the RSF’s last remaining supply line.

The bridge, located 40 km south of Khartoum, serves as RSF’s sole remaining supply route across the White Nile River, linking their forces in Khartoum (east bank) with those in Omdurman (west bank) and connecting White Nile, Kordofan, and Darfur regions. It is a critical logistical corridor for the RSF.

The Sudanese army has recently regained key areas in Khartoum State, including Bahri, eastern Khartoum, and several bridgeheads, significantly improving its strategic position.

In a related move, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the SAF, instructed government security agencies to resume normal operations across Khartoum State within 48 hours, following the army’s recapture of key areas from the RSF.

According to state news agency SUNA, the Khartoum State Security Committee, chaired by Governor Ahmed Osman Hamza, held a meeting with senior military and intelligence officials to restore law and order, combat crime, and ensure civilian safety.

In El Fasher, North Darfur, the army reported destroying 47 RSF combat vehicles, including troop carriers and supply trucks, while downing more than 100 RSF drones.

The RSF has besieged El Fasher for months, triggering intense battles that have displaced nearly half a million civilians to Tawila, Jebel Marra, and northern Sudan.

The 6th Infantry Division in El Fasher confirmed in a statement that it inflicted heavy losses on the RSF, using ground defenses to repel drone attacks and neutralize enemy reinforcements.



Israeli Military Says it Struck Hamas Member in Southern Syria

FILE PHOTO: A cat stands next to a damaged telephone booth in Hamidiyeh district in the central city of Homs July 1, 2012. REUTERS/Yazen Homsy/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A cat stands next to a damaged telephone booth in Hamidiyeh district in the central city of Homs July 1, 2012. REUTERS/Yazen Homsy/File Photo
TT
20

Israeli Military Says it Struck Hamas Member in Southern Syria

FILE PHOTO: A cat stands next to a damaged telephone booth in Hamidiyeh district in the central city of Homs July 1, 2012. REUTERS/Yazen Homsy/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A cat stands next to a damaged telephone booth in Hamidiyeh district in the central city of Homs July 1, 2012. REUTERS/Yazen Homsy/File Photo

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it struck a Hamas member in southern Syria's Mazraat Beit Jin, days after Israel carried out its first airstrikes in the country in nearly a month.

Hamas did not immediately comment on the strike.

Israel said on Tuesday it hit weapons belonging to the government in retaliation for the firing of two projectiles towards Israel for the first time under the country's new leadership. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz held Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa accountable.

Damascus in response said reports of the shelling were unverified, reiterating that Syria does not pose a threat to any regional party.

A little known group named "Martyr Muhammad Deif Brigades," an apparent reference to Hamas' military leader who was killed in an Israeli strike in 2024, reportedly claimed responsibility for the shelling. Reuters, however, could not independently verify the claim.

Israel and Syria have recently engaged in direct talks to calm tensions, marking a significant development in ties between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decade.