Sudan’s Kabbashi Vows to ‘Unleash the Reins’ in New Darfur Offensive

Shems al-Din Kabbashi (file photo)

September 4, 2025 (EL OBEID) – A top Sudanese general, Shams al-Din Kabashi, announced on Thursday the imminent launch of a large-scale military offensive to retake the Darfur region from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Speaking to civil society leaders in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, Kabashi said the city would be a primary launch point for the operations.

“From El Obeid, we tell them we have unleashed the reins,” said Kabashi, a member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and the army’s deputy commander. “And whoever has not heard that El Obeid is just a station, let them hear it now.”

He added that the cities of El Obeid, Al-Khuwayy, En-Nahud, and Ad-Dubaibat would serve as support hubs for the ultimate objective. “Our final goal is El Fasher. And when we say El Fasher… we mean all of Darfur.”

Kabashi, a key figure in the military leadership, reiterated the army’s rejection of any negotiations to end the war, vowing that fighting would only stop with the surrender of those he called “traitors and renegades.”

“Do not listen to any talk about negotiations… We will not stop the war until these people surrender,” he told the audience, pledging to “liberate every inch of Sudan.”

In a related move, Kabashi ordered all combat troops to immediately vacate some 53 schools and civilian facilities they occupy in El Obeid. He said the responsibility for securing the city would be handed over to the police and other security agencies.

“We want the citizen to feel safe,” he said, adding that the army’s place is not inside cities. “They should move outside the city immediately.”