After surviving a drone attack in eastern Sudan on Wednesday, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler, rejected any negotiations with the RSF paramilitaries.
The army reported that the drone strike on a ceremony at the Gibet base, where Burhan was attending a graduation event, resulted in five fatalities. Addressing his troops at the base following the attack, Burhan vowed, “We will not retreat, we will not surrender, and we will not negotiate,” despite appearing unharmed.
“We are not afraid of drones,” he declared at the Gibet base, located approximately 100 kilometers from Port Sudan, where the army-backed government relocated after conflict erupted with the RSF in April of the previous year.
No immediate group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The United States has extended an invitation for both parties to engage in talks next month in Geneva. However, Sudan’s foreign ministry stated on Tuesday that these discussions should be preceded by “further talks.”
On Wednesday, Burhan dismissed the possibility of negotiations with the RSF. He emphasized that any peace initiative “must recognize, invite, and consult the Sudanese state,” referring to his government.
“We will not lay down our arms until we rid this country of every conspirator and rebel,” he declared.
The ongoing war, which Burhan asserts the army aims to win “with our heads held high,” has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, with estimates reaching up to 150,000 according to U.S. envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello. It has also led to severe human rights abuses and sparked the largest displacement crisis in the world, according to the United Nations.
More than 10 million people are currently displaced across Sudan, many in regions facing imminent famine and deteriorating humanitarian conditions as the conflict continues. Wednesday’s attack was the first on a military base in Sudan’s eastern Red Sea state, where the army, government, and United Nations have relocated their headquarters.
The RSF holds control over most of Khartoum, the central Al-Jazira state, nearly the entire western Darfur region, and significant areas of Kordofan in the south.
Last month, the RSF launched an offensive in Sennar state in southeastern Sudan, capturing the state capital and displacing over 130,000 people, according to the UN.
The paramilitaries are also laying siege to El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the largest city in the region not yet under RSF control, cutting off food and water to hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Between Saturday and Monday, RSF bombardments in El-Fasher killed 65 people, mostly children, as reported by local activist groups.
Both sides have faced accusations of war crimes, including the intentional targeting of civilians and obstructing humanitarian aid.