In a phone interview with the Egyptian Al-Qahera News channel, Lt General Al-Burhan said that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) welcomes any initiative that calls for a peaceful resolution and an end to the ongoing fighting, adding that he hopes that the conflict in Sudan will be settled through peaceful means.

Responding to a question on RSF's willingness to accept a peaceful solution, Al-Burhan said that the RSF leaders' full assessment of the risks to the Sudanese state of what is happening should "bring them back to their senses".

“We welcome any initiative that saves Sudan from civil war”, he said, asserting that the Sudanese army is working on guaranteeing that the conflict does not spread to other Sudanese states and provinces and does not evolve into a civil war.  

Al-Burhan was then asked about the progress of the pre-negotiations talks with the RSF held in Jeddah under the auspices of Saudi Arabia and the US.

He responded that there was no talk of negotiations before a ceasefire and RSF's complete withdrawal from the residential areas in Khartoum.   

Al-Burhan stated that people in all Sudanese states have rejected what the RSF forces have done, noting that all Sudanese families in Khartoum suffered severely.

He also accused RSF of occupying and looting the houses in the Sudanese capital and suspending medical services in the city.

The start of the conflict

The head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council stated that he initially considered the (RSF) an allied force that supported the armed forces.

These forces, he added, were hence provided with weapons that must be returned to the armed forces.

Al-Burhan also revealed that the founders of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan and his brother Abdel-Rahim, have always aspired to control all of Sudan, and they resorted to using force "after they failed to do so peacefully or through bargains”.

The commander of the Sudanese army also claimed that many of the RSF fighters defected to the Sudanese Army. 

Concerning the current situation in Sudan, the commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces said the situation is stable in all Sudanese states except Khartoum.

Thanking Egypt for support to Sudan

Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan thanked Egypt, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, and the Egyptian people for demonstrating solidarity -- as usual -- with the Sudanese people.

“The Egyptian people are no strangers to the people of Sudan. They have a long tradition of hospitality and generosity towards the Sudanese people," Al-Burhan said, adding that Egyptians have always been closer to the people of Sudan during times of crisis.  

Egypt has received over 60,000 refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan since the start of the war in mid-April.

Al-Burhan also thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting the current round of talks with the RSF in Saudi Arabia, stressing that the delegation in Jeddah, which includes diplomats among its members, represents not only the Sudanese Armed Forces but the whole Sudanese state.

"We do not want a partial ceasefire that stops the fighting for a limited period, gives legitimacy to a certain party, and ignores the concerns and needs of the citizens," he noted. 

In conclusion, the commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces stressed that initiatives launched by Arab and African states are better than other initiatives since these states are better acquainted with Sudan.