October 12, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – A senior Sudanese general said on Friday that Egyptian air strikes could end the country’s conflict within days, in statements that highlighted the fighting’s complex regional dimensions.

Lieutenant General Ibrahim Jabir, a member of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council and deputy army commander, told the Al-Mohaqeq website that Egypt “can inflict defeat on entire countries, let alone a militia.” He added that Egypt “knows the reality of the rebellion more than anyone imagines.”

Jabir’s comments came after Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti, accused Egypt of bombing his forces. He claimed Egyptian intervention began at the outset of the conflict in April, but it had been kept quiet.

Egypt swiftly denied the allegations, calling on the international community to “examine the evidence” supporting Hemedti’s claims.

Jabir characterized Hemedti’s accusations as an attempt to downplay the Sudanese army’s capabilities and to exploit regional tensions involving Egypt. He stressed that Sudan’s relationship with its powerful northern neighbour would remain strong.

“Egypt is a great country, and if we were not neighbours, we would seek an alliance with it,” Jabir said.

He dismissed Hemetti’s claim that the RSF has mobilized a million fighters as “naive propaganda,” stating that “there are not even a thousand people who support the rebellion in Sudan.”

Jabir said the army was making progress on the battlefield and was close to linking up its forces in southern Bahri with troops advancing from other areas.

In a separate interview with Al Jazeera Net, Jaber said the army successfully cut RSF supply lines in Khartoum, Darfur and Sennar, forcing the RSF into retreat. He downplayed the RSF’s ability to open new fronts in the conflict.

Jabir predicted further army gains in areas “the rebels do not expect to return to the control of the state”. He said internal and external developments would soon “shake the foundations of the rebels.”