![A video grab from footage released in the Sudanese army's Facebook page of Sudan's Army Chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on August 14, 2023 [Sudanese Army/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1598759020-e1692975060954.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Sudanese chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan visited the army’s strategic headquarters in central Khartoum yesterday in his first appearance there since government forces claimed to have broken a months-long siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Reuters reported.
Accompanied by senior military leaders, Al-Burhan praised the “resilience and sacrifices” of soldiers who defended the army’s General Command for 20 months, vowing to “eradicate” the RSF and pursue its fighters “in every corner of Sudan”.
He also hailed the army’s continued operations elsewhere in the country, including in Omdurman, Bahri and El Fasher, where fierce clashes have been reported in recent days.
The General Command in Khartoum had been under siege since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
The army announced on Friday it had successfully lifted the RSF blockade and restored control over parts of the city, signalling a potential turning point in the nearly two-year war.
The RSF has denied the army’s claims as “propaganda” aimed at boosting morale.
Also on Friday, an advisor to the head of the RSF announced his resignation, saying the paramilitary was targeting civilians in its operations.
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