KHARTOUM — In a stern address delivered south of the capital on Monday night, Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, declared that there would be no ceasefire or reconciliation with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) until the group surrenders. Speaking as the conflict enters its third year, Al Burhan characterized the ongoing war as a mission of 'cleansing the nation from defilement,' while dismissing allegations of alliances with former Islamist factions. The General's hardline stance comes amid a significant escalation in the Kordofan region. On March 16, 2026, RSF fighters launched a coordinated two-pronged offensive, successfully recapturing the strategic city of Bara. Bara sits on a critical highway linking Khartoum to El-Obeid, and its seizure allows the RSF to tighten its encirclement of Kordofan’s largest hub. Simultaneously, heavy fighting was reported in Dilling, South Kordofan, as the RSF attempts to secure a central east-west corridor connecting their strongholds in Darfur to the army-controlled eastern regions. UN officials have warned that the shift of heavy combat to the Kordofan heartland is driving civilian casualties and worsening the world's largest hunger crisis, with millions trapped behind shifting frontlines.