Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has visited the military’s headquarters in the capital Khartoum in his first appearance there since government forces claimed to have broken a months-long siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Accompanied by top military officials on Sunday, al-Burhan praised the “resilience and sacrifices” of soldiers who defended the army’s General Command for 20 months, vowing to “eradicate” the RSF and pursue its fighters “in every corner of Sudan”.

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He also hailed the continued operations by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) elsewhere in the country, including in Omdurman, Bahri, and el-Fasher, where fierce clashes have been reported in recent days.

“Our forces are in their best condition,” al-Burhan said at the headquarters that was recaptured last week after being encircled by RSF since the start of the war in April 2023.

The announcement on Friday by the SAF that it had successfully lifted the RSF blockade on Khartoum and took back control of parts of the city signalled a potential turning point in the nearly two-year war. The RSF denied the army claims as “propaganda” aimed at boosting morale.

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Earlier this month, the army recaptured Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira state, which had been held by the RSF for more than a year. There are reports that military forces have carried out alleged ethnic killings after taking over the strategic city.

The RSF has been accused of committing various abuses – including an allegation by the United States that it has carried out genocide – during the war.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said al-Burhan’s comments on Sunday signalled that the general was not interested in diplomacy at this time.

“Al-Burhan made it clear he will not be holding negotiations with the RSF, that there will be no reconciliation, and that there will be fighting until the very last rebel is killed,” she said.

“It’s not the first time we’re hearing those words from the army chief, but regional partners and the international community have tried to pursue a diplomatic solution as well. General al-Burhan appears to opt for a military victory right now, especially since in the past few weeks the army has been able to regain control of more territory.”

Attack on hospital ‘packed with patients’

The appearance comes as the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) decried an attack that killed dozens of people at a hospital in el-Fasher in the Darfur region.

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The attack late on Friday targeted the Saudi hospital, the main hospital in the besieged area. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. A local official said the RSF carried out a drone strike.

At least 70 people were killed and 19 others were wounded, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed on Sunday.

“At the time of the attack, the hospital was packed with patients receiving care,” Tedros said in a post on X.

Saudi Arabia condemned the attack as a “violation of international law and international humanitarian law”.

Local groups and international rights groups have previously reported attacks on displacement camps and other facilities by the RSF that have killed and wounded civilians.

More than 5,000 people have been killed or injured since the RSF started its attempt to take over el-Fasher last May, according to local authorities.

El-Fasher is the biggest city and has the biggest functional airport in the Darfur region, said Amgad Fareid Eltayeb from the Fikra for Studies and Development think tank. It is the last major area in the region controlled by the army.

“The RSF has been trying to take el-Fasher in order to set the scene for announcing a government of its own along with its allies,” Eltayeb told Al Jazeera.

“What the RSF and its allies want is to fully take over Darfur in order to establish a government, leaving Sudan with a model similar to what happened in Libya.”

Eltayeb also expressed concern about a pattern of attacks by the RSF since January 15 that have targeted water dams, power stations and oil refineries.

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