Sudanese General rejects possibility of mediated solution to war

By Linda Bordoni

Speaking during an official visit to Ankara on Sunday, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the war will end only with the surrender of the RSF, as the population continues to suffer starvation, displacement and atrocities.

Labelled by the U.N. as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting.

In the past two and a half years, the country has been wracked with widespread mass killings and rapes, and ethnically motivated violence. The conflict has officially killed more than 40,000 people, but aid groups say the true number could be many times higher. More than 14 million people have been displaced, as disease outbreaks and famine spread in parts of the country. 

"Unimaginable" suffering of civilians

On the eve of General al-Burhan’s visit to Turkey this weekend, the UN Secretary General appealed for an immediate ceasefire in an attempt to ease what he called “the unimaginable” suffering of civilians.

However, the Army leader who took power after the ousting of the longstanding autocrat Omar al-Bashir insisted that the war would only end with the surrender of the Rapid Support Forces, led by Hemedti Dagalo. He also warned neighbouring nations to stay out of the conflict and stated that his government no longer recognises the authority of the “Quad” initiative, comprising the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, which had outlined a roadmap for peaceful resolution in Sudan.

His refusal to consider mediation came as the nation faces an increasing lack of aid and intensifying battles that are reportedly turning villages – especially in north and south Kordofan and Darfur states – into ghost towns. The grim situation is also affecting White Nile State and the area south of the capital Khartoum.

The collapse of the humanitarian response exacerbates an already dramatic situation in which the United Nations has more than halved its appeal for 2026 following major reductions in support from key donors, including the US, the UK and Germany.

(Source: AP, Nova and other agencies)