The Sudanese Armed Forces have completed the initial phase of processing and regularising more than 300 fighters who defected from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the military said on Wednesday.
A unit of over 300 RSF fighters surrendered to army units in Northern State, culminating a series of defections across Darfur and Kordofan in recent months. The troops were processed under standard military regulations and assigned to operational units following comprehensive security and intelligence background checks, the army said.
Major General El-Waleed Abdel Gadir Ajabna, head of the army’s administration branch, supervised the integration alongside senior field commanders. Brigadier General Isaac Saad Osman, who heads the committee responsible for regularising former RSF personnel, commended the defectors for switching sides.
Burhan Vows Expanded Offensive
Military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, addressed worshippers at a mosque in Al Managil in Al Jazirah state on Friday. He said he expects foreign adversaries to impose fresh sanctions on him and the country soon.
“Any new punitive measures would fail to break the country’s resolve or force the military to back down,” Burhan told the crowd.
The United States began enforcing additional sanctions on Sudan on July 20 over allegations that the military used chemical weapons during the war. Sudan’s foreign ministry denied the claims and said it is ready to cooperate with international chemical weapons inspectors.
Offensive Targets Western Darfur
Burhan told worshippers that the army plans to expand its offensive from Al Managil across the country, aiming to push troops toward El Geneina, Um Dafaq, and El Fasher in the western Darfur region, as well as Kurmuk near the southeastern border.
He also announced plans to build an airstrip, a military base and local roads in Al Managil, praising residents for funding their own supplies and aiding government troops fighting the RSF in Gezira.
The RSF has not commented on the defections or Burhan’s remarks. Since the war erupted in April 2023, Burhan has repeatedly pledged pardons for RSF personnel who defect to the national army.
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