Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has announced a sweeping reorganization of the armed forces as the war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drags into its 16th month. A decree issued on August 18 places all allied armed groups—including former Darfur rebel factions, tribal militias, Islamist brigades, and civilian defense volunteers—under the direct command of the Sudanese Armed Forces. The move is designed to unify the country’s scattered fighting forces and prevent the emergence of rival military centers of power. As part of the shake-up, Burhan appointed a new inspector general and air force commander, while retaining General Mohamed Othman al-Hussein as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Several senior officers were retired, a decision seen as clearing the path for a more loyal leadership structure.
Political allies of Burhan welcomed the changes, arguing that the RSF itself emerged from decades of government-armed militias and that centralizing command could help avoid history repeating itself. Analysts, however, warn that the decree could deepen divisions if groups feel coerced into army structures.
The reorganization comes as fighting continues to devastate Sudan. In Darfur and Kordofan, civilians remain trapped in towns under siege, while in the capital Khartoum, residents face shortages of food, medicine, and electricity. Aid agencies say more than 10 million people have been displaced, making Sudan home to the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. Meanwhile, the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has entrenched its control in parts of Darfur and declared a parallel civilian administration, raising fears of a permanent partition of Sudan.
Burhan, seeking international backing, recently met in Switzerland with a U.S. Africa adviser to discuss prospects for a political transition. But with peace talks stalled and both sides entrenched, Sudan’s path to stability remains uncertain.
