Sudan’s devastating war has entered its third year with no sign of compromise. As hunger worsens and entire towns empty out, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has declared the conflict will only end with the surrender of rival paramilitary forces.

The head of Sudan’s government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has ruled out negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He said the war will end only when the paramilitary group lays down its arms.

Speaking during an official visit to Ankara on Sunday, al-Burhan dismissed political solutions that do not involve RSF disarmament. “The war will end after arms are laid down,” he told members of the Sudanese community in Turkiye.

Humanitarian crisis deepens across Sudan

Al-Burhan’s remarks come as civilians endure worsening humanitarian conditions. In Kosti, south of Khartoum, thousands of displaced families are sleeping outdoors and surviving on bread and boiled lentils.

Reporting from White Nile state, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Val said nearly 12 million people across Sudan are “living in limbo.” While some feel relatively safe in Kosti, he noted, “their stomachs are empty.”

The influx of displaced people has overwhelmed local resources. Ahmed Adam of the Sudanese Red Crescent said food and medical supplies are running dangerously low, particularly for children.

“We have a real shortage of food items, medicine, especially medication for children,” Adam said, appealing for support from humanitarian organisations.

Funding cuts push millions toward starvation

The crisis has been intensified by a collapse in international funding. The United Nations has more than halved its humanitarian appeal for 2026 to $23 billion after major funding cuts by key donors, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

The World Food Programme has warned that food rations in Sudan could be reduced by up to 70 percent, even as 21 million people face starvation.

As hunger spreads, military escalations are forcing civilians to flee entire regions. Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Hassan Razzaq reported that expanding operations in North Darfur and North Kordofan have emptied towns of their residents.

“There are towns now completely empty of their inhabitants, which can be described as ghost towns,” Razzaq said, linking the exodus directly to ongoing battles.

Hit-and-run warfare in Kordofan

In North Kordofan, the RSF is attempting to advance toward the strategic city of el-Obeid. SAF has reinforced its defences, triggering volatile clashes across surrounding areas.

Razzaq cited the town of al-Dankouj, about 40 kilometres from el-Obeid, as an example of the conflict’s instability. The town has repeatedly changed hands, reflecting the hit-and-run nature of the fighting.

Conditions are equally severe in South Kordofan, where the RSF has maintained a tight siege on the cities of Kadugli and Dilling for more than a year and a half.

According to Razzaq, the prolonged blockade has left residents in a “deplorable state,” with living conditions collapsing and displacement becoming unavoidable.