President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, stated that the war launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia is unprecedented in Sudan’s history, as it has torn the social fabric, displaced millions, and threatens the stability of the entire region.
In an article published in The Wall Street Journal, Al-Burhan said the conflict erupted because the RSF militia attempted to overthrow the state, describing the group as “heavily armed with a long record of brutality.” He added that the militia seized the city of El-Fashir in late October, where reports indicate thousands of civilians were massacred. The director of Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab estimated the death toll at around 10,000 before contact with field sources was lost.
Al-Burhan noted that the RSF militia originally emerged under the name Janjaweed as an auxiliary militia in Darfur, before evolving into an independent paramilitary force operating outside the state’s chain of command and posing a direct threat to the stability of Sudan’s national institutions.
He affirmed that the government had sought in December 2022 to integrate the RSF into the Sudanese army. However, in April 2023, the militia revolted, secretly mobilizing its forces around Khartoum and other major cities, seizing strategic locations, and attacking government and military facilities, which triggered the war.
Al-Burhan said the RSF militia receives external support and that the conflict threatens the stability of the Red Sea and the Sahel region, as well as U.S. interests—highlighting the atrocities committed against civilians in El-Fashir.
He added that genuine peace cannot be achieved through military victory alone, but must be grounded in democracy, the rule of law, and protection of citizens’ rights. He affirmed Sudan’s readiness to work with the United States and Saudi Arabia to achieve a just and equitable peace, stressing that truth remains Sudan’s strongest ally at this stage.
