The head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, stated that there must be a cessation of hostilities between the army and the "Rapid Support Forces" (RSF), but emphasized that the army will not sign a peace agreement "that brings disgrace to the armed forces and the people." Al-Burhan, in statements reported by the Sudanese News Agency, asserted that the armed forces "will remain cohesive, strong, and a safety valve for Sudan," and that they will eliminate the RSF.
Regarding recent events in the city of Wad Madani in the central state of Al-Jazeera, where the RSF took control, al-Burhan said: "What happened in Madani will lead to accountability for everyone who was negligent or complacent, and there will be no leniency in this," as reported by the Arab World News Agency. He continued, "We assure citizens that the army will fight until the last soldier, so that the people of Sudan enjoy security and stability, and the armed forces will not fall," threatening that anyone who collaborates with the RSF "will pay the price of their cooperation."
Residents in the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazeera state, reported that communication services have gradually begun to return. Afnan Mohammed, a resident of the city, noted that the "Zain Sudan" network has only returned gradually. She stated to the Arab World News Agency: "The situation in the city is somewhat calm, but we hear gunfire from time to time." Afnan complained of water and electricity outages for two days, in addition to a shortage of food supplies due to the closure of markets and shops.
Large parts of Wad Madani and other cities in the country experienced a complete outage of communication and internet services since Wednesday. Concurrently with the communication blackout, reports emerged of the army's return to the city and clashes with the RSF in the streets near the army's command center. The communication and internet outages have created significant obscurity around the events, particularly in the conflict areas of the capital Khartoum and the regions of Kordofan and Darfur.
For over a month, cities in the Darfur region of western Sudan have been isolated from the world due to the breakdown of communication and internet networks, with residents relying on limited satellite internet available in some cafes and markets. Communications and internet services in Sudan are covered by three networks: "MTN Sudan," "Zain Sudan," and "Sudani," in addition to the "Kanar" network, which only provides internet services.
