KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL

Sudan’s army chief and head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Friday urged the Sudanese people to return to their homes and take part in rebuilding the country, saying conditions are now “safe and stable.”

Speaking after Friday prayers at a mosque in the Kalakla area south of the capital Khartoum, Burhan called on citizens not to be swayed by “voices seeking to obstruct returns,” according to a statement from the Sovereign Council.

“Our message to all citizens is not to be dragged behind the talk of skeptics and those who oppose the return of people to their homes,” Burhan said, adding that returns would remain voluntary. “No one will be forced to come back.”

He encouraged the Sudanese to help rehabilitate vital facilities and contribute to reconstruction, expressing hope that many would return before the start of the holy month of Ramadan to reunite with their families.

In recent days, the Sudanese government has intensified stepped-up calls for residents to return to Khartoum, much of which was emptied as fighting with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) spread through the capital early in the war.

Burhan also criticized former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the coalition known as “Somoud,” which has been touring European capitals since Jan. 20. He warned countries hosting Hamdok that “the group was acting against the Sudanese people and would not be welcomed back.”

Burhan rejected allegations circulated by the coalition that the Sudanese army had used chemical weapons in the war, calling the claims baseless and saying the military is a national institution that protects civilians.

On Monday, the Somoud coalition said in a statement that its delegation met Thomas Schieb, chair of the executive bureau of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, in The Hague.

The alliance said the talks addressed the need to form an investigative and follow-up committee into allegations that the Sudanese army used chemical weapons.

Burhan warned the RSF rebels against continuing attacks on civilians in cities including El-Obeid in North Kordofan and Dilling in South Kordofan, vowing that the army would not relent in defending the population and insisting that “victory is near.”

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed thousands of people, displaced millions of others and led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states in the western Darfur region, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army holds most areas of the remaining 13 states across the south, north, east, and center of the country, including Khartoum.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio