By Adel Abdelrahim
KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL (AA) – Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Monday that fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) would be granted amnesty if they abandon their weapons and rejoin the state.
Addressing a graduation ceremony for naval officers in the Khartoum twin city of Omdurman, Burhan reiterated that the army would press on with its campaign against the RSF, describing continued fighting as the only remaining path unless the rebel force surrenders.
“There is no choice but to carry the battle through to its end, or for the enemy to lay down its arms,” he said in his statements carried by a council statement.
At the same time, Burhan signaled openness toward individual RSF members, saying those who were “misled” into taking up arms would be forgiven if they return.
Burhan said the armed forces “bear no enmity” toward those who joined the fighting due to incitement or misinformation, calling on them to abandon the battlefield and “stand with the nation.”
He added that the door remains open to anyone demonstrating a sincere intention to disengage and reconcile.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed thousands of people, displaced millions of others and led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states in the western Darfur region, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army holds most areas of the remaining 13 states across the south, north, east, and center of the country, including Khartoum.
*Writing by Tarek Chouiref