Sudan’s Defense Minister Says Militia Backed By Foreign Forces Is Failing

Nearly three years after an outbreak of violence plunged Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, the Sudanese military has regained momentum against the rebels, who are on the verge of defeat, according to Sudanese Defense Minister Hassan Kabroun.

Speaking exclusively with Arab News in Riyadh, he said the Sudanese Armed Forces was now on the offensive. “I am pleased, and fully confident, to convey good news to the entire world,” he said.

“SAF, with their proud history, and with the support of friendly states, are advancing at a rapid pace toward eliminating the rebellion, now reeling and confined to a limited number of remaining strongholds.”

Kabroun said the Rapid Support Forces’ approaching defeat would open the door to a political transition.

“This will allow Sudan’s state leadership to begin the process of peaceful democratic transition during a transitional phase led by a civilian government safeguarded by SAF,” he said, adding that the process would culminate in “free, fair, and transparent general elections acceptable to the Sudanese people.”

Sudan’s conflict erupted on April 15, 2023, amid a power struggle between the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The RSF, which evolved from the Janjaweed militias implicated in atrocities in Darfur in the early 2000s, launched coordinated attacks on army bases in Khartoum and elsewhere, rapidly seizing territory with the backing of foreign powers, including the UAE.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 14 million people, with entire cities reduced to ruins and famine spreading across large parts of the country.

Kabroun rejected descriptions of the conflict as a clash between rival generals. “I would like to emphasize and firmly establish that what has occurred is a rebellion against SAF and against the Sudanese state, carried out by a faction that was formerly part of it,” he said.

“Therefore, there is no basis for describing the situation as a war between two generals, since SAF have a single commander, and whoever rebels against him is, by definition, a rebel.”

Recent months have seen the SAF claim gains in several strategic areas, including the lifting of sieges imposed by the RSF on key towns such as Kadugli in South Kordofan, restoring supply routes and allowing some displaced civilians to return.

Kabroun contrasted these advances with what he described as systematic crimes by the RSF, particularly in Darfur, where international organizations have documented mass killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement.

“We are very frank about what has happened in Sudan,” he said. “What happened in Al-Fashir constitutes a grave and blatant violation of international law.”

“These violations were not limited to military targets but also affected civilians — elderly people, women, and children. Some were even buried alive, as occurred and was documented since the beginning of the war in Al-Junaynah and in Al-Fashir.”

Human-rights groups say RSF fighters and allied militias have targeted non-Arab communities in Darfur. In North Darfur’s Zamzam displacement camp, one of the largest in the country, RSF assaults in 2025 displaced hundreds of thousands more civilians.

“There has been systematic and deliberate genocide against the people of the Darfur region,” Kabroun said. “It now appears that foreign individuals are being settled in place of citizens, enabling them to take over the lands of those who were killed, destroyed, and displaced.”

He accused unnamed regional actors of backing the RSF with weapons, logistics and fighters.

“We affirm that this war involves regional and international parties providing logistical support, weapons, intelligence, and even fighters,” he said, citing reports of foreign nationals participating in the conflict.

“Ending the war in Sudan begins with stopping this support from the state of evil,” he said. “Ending the war begins with stopping this support. This is when the war will end.”

Kabroun said the shifting balance on the battlefield reflected what he described as a deeper collapse within the RSF itself, arguing that the militia was no longer sustained by local fighters but increasingly dependent on foreign mercenaries.

“First, the RSF now relies on foreign mercenaries, including mercenaries from West African countries, Colombia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan,” he said. “This means that the core fighting force of this militia has collapsed.”

According to Kabroun, the RSF’s social and tribal support base has been hollowed out by heavy losses over the course of the war, with long-term consequences for communities that once supplied its ranks.

“The militia’s support bases and supporting tribes have been depleted,” he said. “Each tribe has lost between 20,000 and 30,000 young fighters. These young fighters embodied reconstruction, protection, economic support, and the hope of the future.”

He argued that replacing those losses with mercenaries was itself evidence of strategic failure. “Replacing young fighters with mercenaries means that they are either killed or maimed,” Kabroun said, framing the shift as both a military and social collapse.

Kabroun pointed to recent SAF gains across Kordofan as further proof that the RSF was losing cohesion and territory.

“Our victories in Kordofan, including in the North, South, and West Kordofan, have led to a clear decline in militia activity, marked by retreat and withdrawal,” he said.

“This is strong evidence of their collapse and the beginning of a genuine victory for both the SAF and the Sudanese people.”

He also accused the RSF of turning to increasingly indiscriminate tactics as it lost ground, particularly the use of drones against civilian targets.

“The militia’s use of strategic drones to target armed forces inside cities, as well as civilians and displaced people, reflects a state of complete and true bankruptcy on the part of this militia,” he said.

Kabroun said international awareness of RSF abuses was now translating into internal fractures within the group.

“Friendly states, major powers, and countries that operate transparently are now fully aware of the grave and appalling violations committed by the RSF,” he said, adding that condemnation of those abuses had contributed to “the collapse of their leadership and a breakdown of trust among their fighters.”

He said this erosion was visible on the ground. “There have also been numerous surrenders by members of the RSF in areas controlled by government forces,” Kabroun said, arguing that this trend underscored what he called the militia’s “inevitable defeat.”

By contrast, he said, morale among civilians aligned with the state was rising, particularly among young people.

“The determination of the Sudanese people, especially Sudanese youth, to mobilize, be recruited, train, and be ready to join the frontlines at any moment, has significantly raised national morale while weakening the morale of the rebels,” he said.

“This alone is sufficient proof that the militia is faltering.”

Kabroun accused the RSF and its backers of using calls for ceasefires tactically rather than in pursuit of peace.

“Whenever the army advances and mercenary forces suffer decisive blows, the traitors and bandits resort to steadfastness and reinforcement from supporting states and the state of evil to call for truce, not to stop the fighting, but to resupply their fighters,” he said.

“This is something the entire world now understands.”

Despite his combative tone, Kabroun insisted that the SAF’s objective remained peace under state authority. “We are advocates of peace and seek what is best for our people,” he said. “But when it comes to defending the nation, no one will stop us.”

“The battlefield is in our hands, peace is in our hands, and everything is in our hands, by the will of God,” Kabroun added. “We will continue forward until every inch of Sudanese land is liberated from the hand of the traitors and bandits.”

International condemnation, he argued, has so far failed to halt the violence. “Condemnation alone will not achieve anything,” Kabroun said, referring to recent RSF attacks on humanitarian convoys and aid facilities.

“What is needed is concrete and decisive action, as has been taken before in other countries, to put an end to whatever threatens citizens’ security.”

International organizations have repeatedly condemned RSF attacks on civilians and aid workers, including strikes on a military hospital, a World Food Programme convoy, and buses carrying displaced people, calling them violations of international humanitarian law and the Jeddah Declaration on the Protection of Civilians in Sudan.

Looking ahead to forthcoming debates at the UN Security Council, Kabroun said only firm measures would end the war.

“If the convening of the UN Security Council does not result in strict decisions and strong interventions to first stop the support, and to hold accountable all those involved in supporting this rebellion … we see that there is no determination from the Security Council and the international community to stop the war,” he said.

According to Kabroun, Saudi Arabia’s mediation, Red Sea security role, and backing of Sudan’s state institutions have been central to efforts to end Sudan’s devastating civil war.

He placed Saudi Arabia at the heart of Sudan’s diplomatic, security and humanitarian landscape since fighting erupted in April 2023, arguing that Riyadh’s engagement has been both consistent and decisive.

“Certainly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has played an effective role,” he said. “Since the outbreak of the war, it started with the Jeddah Peace Talks and these efforts have continued to this day.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a strong and vocal advocate for Sudan’s stability and for finding solutions that are acceptable to the Sudanese people in this regard.”

Kabroun,  who is attending the World Defense Show in Riyadh, said Saudi engagement reached the highest levels of international diplomacy when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman raised the situation in Sudan with US President Donald Trump at the White House in November.

“These Saudi efforts reached their peak when the Crown Prince met with President Trump and discussed the situation in Sudan and what is required to ensure the country’s safety and territorial stability,” he said.

Despite the devastation inflicted on Sudan, Kabroun struck an optimistic note, returning to the theme of reconstruction.

 “We affirm to the world, God willing, that what we are living now in Sudan is better and is going toward what is better, and very soon, God willing,” he said.

“What the war has destroyed will, God willing, be rebuilt, by Sudanese, by supporters, and by friends.”

Kabroun also singled out Arab News for praise, thanking the newspaper for giving Sudanese officials a platform to address an international audience.

“Our sincere thanks to this newspaper, Arab News, based in Saudi Arabia, on its 50th anniversary,” he said. “We thank them for choosing and hosting us in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to present our vision to the entire world.”

He added that he hoped the coming period would bring “positive news about Sudan, reported through this major media platform.