The head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, visited on Tuesday the bases of his forces, praising the loyalty of the entire Sudanese people to the army.
In a speech on the occasion, Al-Burhan said that that the armed forces “have not yet exploited their full power so as not to destroy the country.”
“But if the enemy does not obey or comply, we will be forced to use our utmost powers,” he added.
Al-Burhan noted that that the armed forces agreed to a ceasefire to facilitate the flow of services to citizens, who were exhausted by the violations of the rebels.
He described the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a “rebel militia”, which he said “plundered the people’s property, violated their sanctities, and tortured and killed them.”
Al-Burhan stressed that the armed forces would remain “ready to fight until victory,” adding that they fully controlled all military sites in Sudan.
Fighting renewed between the army and the RSF and clashes broke out in separate areas of the capital, despite an agreement reached on Monday over the renewal of a short-term ceasefire for an additional five days.
Othman Jaafar, from the Haj Yusuf area, east of Khartoum, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We hear the heavy exchange of bullets near our area.”
The forces of Freedom and Change – the former ruling coalition - called on the leaders of the army and the RSF to abide by the ceasefire agreement, to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
The coalition strongly condemned the continued armed presence in residential areas and service facilities, as well as attacks on civilians, and urged the two sides to stop the clashes immediately, hold the perpetrators accountable, and return the looted property.
For its part, the United Nations said that fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF in Khartoum and other parts of the country, despite the ceasefire, which took effect on May 22.
The UN reported that the fighting since April 15 has forced nearly 1.4 million people to flee their homes, inside and outside the country.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 345,000 Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Central Africa, and Ethiopia.
