Sudanese army leader: "Victory is undoubtedly near"

The leader of the Sudanese army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, assured that "victory, without a doubt, is near" and that his soldiers are prepared to fight to the end against the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with which they have been fighting since 15 April. 

"The armed forces will be ready to fight until victory, the rebels will not be able to rule this country and victory, without a doubt, is near," Al-Burhan said in a statement released by the army, which was accompanied by images of the general being cheered by his soldiers during a visit to a military base in Khartoum. 

He threatened that the army "has not yet used all its lethal force, but may be forced to do so if the enemy refuses to obey or listen to the voice of reason", and said his troops have "secured control of every part of the country". 

On the five-day extension of the truce agreed on Monday night, Al-Burhan said the pact was reached to provide humanitarian services to people affected "by the violations of the rebel militias", which they accuse of killing civilians, looting their property and using vital facilities as garrisons. 

FAR has been levelling the same accusations against the armed forces since the outbreak of the conflict, which was sparked by a power struggle between Al-Burhan and the military's leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti", as part of a process of military reform as part of Sudan's democratic transition. 

Both groups have pledged to respect successive ceasefires, but so far all have been violated, although representatives of the army and the FAR are negotiating in Saudi Arabia to reach a more durable truce. 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the conflict has left at least 850 people dead and more than 5,500 wounded, while most of the capital's hospitals have been knocked out of service. 

The fighting has also caused the internal and external displacement of more than 1.3 million people, according to the UN.