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Abdel Fatah al-Burhan visits a key military site, while the WHO chief condemns the deadly attack on a hospital in the Darfur region.
Sudanese army chief Abdel Fatah al-Burhan visited the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum in his first appearance there since government forces claimed to have broken the prolonged siege of the Paramilitary Forces for Rapid Maintenance (RSF).
Accompanied by senior military officials on Sunday, Al-Burhan praised the “resilience and victims” of soldiers who defended the army's main command for 20 months, promising to “uproot” RSF and pursue its fighters “in every corner of Sudan” S
He also welcomed the ongoing operations of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) elsewhere in the country, including Omdurman, Bahri and El-Facher, where fierce clashes have been reported in recent days.
“Our forces are in the best condition,” Al-Burhan said in a headquarters, which was conquered last week after being surrounded by RSF since the beginning of the war in April 2023.
Friday's SAF announcement that they have successfully lifted the RSF blockade of Khartoum and regained control of parts of the city has signaled a potential turning point in the almost two -year war. RSF denied the army's claims as “propaganda” aimed at raising morality.
Earlier this month, the army took Wad Madani, the capital of the State Gazza, which was held by RSF for more than a yearS There are reports that military forces have committed alleged ethnic killings After the conquest of the strategic city.
RSF was accused of performing various abuses – including the statement of the United States for committing a genocide – during the war.
Hiba Morgan of Al Jazeera, a Khartoum report, said Al Burhan's comments on Sunday show that the general was not interested in diplomacy at the moment.
“Al Burhan made it clear that he would not negotiate with RSF, that there would be no reconciliation and that there would be battles until the last rebel was killed,” she said.
“It is not the first time we hear these words from the chief of the army, but regional partners and the international community also tried to pursue a diplomatic decision. General Al-Burhan seems to be choosing a military victory right now, especially since in the last few weeks the army has been able to regain control of more territory.
An attack on a hospital “full of patients”
The appearance comes after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) condemned an attack that killed dozens of people at an El-Facher hospital in the Darfur area.
The attack late on Friday was aimed at Saudi Hospital, the main hospital in the besieged area. It is not yet clear who carried out the attack. A local employee said RSF had hit a drone.
at least 70 people were killed and another 19 were injuredConfirmed WHO CEO Tedros Adhanoma Gebreezus on Sunday.
“During the attack, the hospital was full of patients receiving care,” Tedros said in an X.
Saudi Arabia has condemned the attack as “a violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
Local groups and international rights protection groups have already reported Attacks against displacement camps and other facilities by RSF who killed and wounded civilians.
More than 5,000 people have been killed or injured since RSF began their attempt to seize El-Fashire last May, according to local authorities.
El-Fasher is the largest city and has the largest functioning airport in the Darfur region, said Amgad Farreed Eltayeb of the Fikra Brain Trust for Studies and Development. This is the last large area in the region controlled by the army.
“RSF is trying to conquer El-Fasher to create a scene for the announcement of its own government with its allies,” Eltayeb told Al Jazeera.
“What the RSF and its allies want is to fully conquer Darfur to establish a government, leaving Sudan with a model similar to what happened in Libya.”
Eltayeb also expressed concern about the RSF attack model of January 15, which are directed Dams, power plants and oil refineriesS
