The army left its barracks… the horizon of salvation opened

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Yesterday, the army left its barracks and advanced on all fronts. Why now? What is the future of this movement? What is its purpose? Is the army trying to score points in the war to gain leverage in any upcoming negotiations? Or is it the beginning of the defeat of the Janjaweed across the country, delivering them a crushing blow, or a move to pressure the militia into fulfilling the agreements made in Jeddah? All these are possible options, and they all lead to ending the rebellion and the war, giving the army the upper hand and control of the initiative. This is the most important aspect of this movement.

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Reaching this step was not easy. Through following up and asking those involved, it became clear that the army leadership had to go a long way to reach the gateway of comprehensive opening on all fronts. First, it had to absorb the shock of the coup that turned into a war, then adapt to the prolonged siege of most military areas in the capital and regions. Various tactics were employed, based on a deep understanding of the nature of the battle, its complexities, and its duration, with the necessary preparedness, patience, and a well-structured plan providing all resources. Four essential steps were taken by the leadership from the first moments of the war. The first was to hold on to its strategic military positions at all costs, and it succeeded in doing so. None of the strategic military bases in the capital fell, except for the Jebel Aulia base. Other than that, all the army’s camps remained intact and resilient despite the tight siege, defending themselves and repelling attackers numerous times, achieving victories in battles at the Engineers and Armored Corps, and before that, the General Command, which exemplified the ability of these locations to defend themselves under extremely complex conditions.

The second step was the decision taken by the army leadership not to hold on to territory, as in urban warfare, land holds no value. In that context, they focused on weakening the enemy’s material and human capabilities, using tactics of luring them into killing fields, as seen in the armored corps battles. This significantly weakened the militia forces, causing them to lose thousands of their fighters.

The third and decisive step was the mobilization of the army’s strength by quickly recalling officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers from outside the service, while also opening the doors to tens of thousands of reservists who had received modern and advanced training over the past year and a half. Additionally, thousands of Mujahideen hastened to join the army, and finally, the armed movements’ forces moved from neutrality to direct combat alongside the army. This led to the formation of the “joint forces,” which made a difference in western Sudan, contributing to the steadfast defense of El Fasher city.

The fourth and most challenging step, which required a miracle to achieve, was dealing with the fact that the army lost all its weapons storage facilities on the first day of the war when the militia seized the warehouses and all the weapons factories in Khartoum.

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The problem was that by losing these sites, the army lost sufficient ammunition and weapons for the battle, while the state also lost more than 80% of its resources. This left the army facing a heavily armed enemy backed by vast amounts of money, with no shortage of weapons or ammunition. The challenge, then, was to resolve all these issues at once: securing resources for military spending, acquiring weapons and ammunition from abroad. It’s not necessary to disclose now how the state leadership managed to secure those resources without external support, nor the battles that took place around the world to obtain the weapons and ammunition. That is a long story, showcasing the capabilities of the Sudanese people and the armed forces in achieving the impossible—a story worth telling one day, as the battle is still ongoing.

There are other aspects of this battle that deserve sufficient consideration, such as the use of modern technology and highly effective strategic weapons, which have and will continue to shift the balance of power on the ground. We will leave that for the future.

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The call to “unleash the reins” had been growing among large segments of the public, unaware of the true conditions within the army—its capabilities, weaponry, psychological and physical readiness. The calls to “unleash the reins” even reached the point of directly accusing the state leadership of cowardice in facing the battle. What they didn’t realize was that unleashing the reins without properly preparing the horse means pushing it into the unknown, potentially leading to great loss and disintegration. Thus, the leadership remained silent, as it could not reveal the realities of the army’s situation at the time, nor could it heed the unwise calls to unleash the reins. This was perhaps the greatest challenge for the leadership—facing accusations while being unable to disclose the facts.

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Now that the army has secured sufficient armament, completed its psychological and physical rebuilding, and prepared in every aspect, it quickly began executing its missions without needing any reminders to unleash the reins. It advanced on all battlefields in the capital and regions in a first wave, during which it managed to capture the most important bridges in the capital and pushed into its center, awaiting further waves in the capital and regions that will greatly shift the balance of the war.

As for the future of this development, President Al-Burhan announced it yesterday in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, stating: “The roadmap to end the war is clear. Combat operations must end, and this will only happen with the withdrawal of the rebel militias from the areas they have occupied and displaced people from, and their confinement in designated areas and disarmament.” Thus, it is the same agenda and positions that President Al-Burhan has outlined from the start, and here he is reiterating them before the world. The future now lies between two options: either the rebel militias adhere to the agreements they signed in the Jeddah Declaration, or they choose to face the escalating waves of deadly strikes in all theaters of operation. Which option will they choose? If they choose the first, it will be for the best; but if they choose the second, the will of the Sudanese people will prevail, as the President said yesterday.