Sudan's General Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan deepens war strategy amid RSF defections

General Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have publicly welcomed former Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanders who defected, including Al‑Nour al‑Qubba and Al‑Savana. The SAF portrays these defections as intelligence successes and a means to weaken the RSF, but the public embraces raise concerns about inconsistent accountability for alleged war crimes.

Simultaneously, Burhan’s diplomatic outreach across Cairo, the Gulf and other regional capitals has been focused on securing aircraft, drones, ammunition, fuel and logistical support from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, Turkey and others. Rather than pursuing a genuine political settlement, these trips serve an “arms‑first” strategy that hardens supply lines, diversifies patrons and aims to sustain a war of attrition, effectively using diplomacy as another front to preserve his regime.