The Deputy Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Lieutenant-General Shams al-Din al-Kabashi has resurfaced after a long absence from the limelight.
Kabashi, who was stationed at the General Command of SAF headquarters in the capital Khartoum, emerged in the northern town of Wadi Sayyidna on Saturday.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) is yet to issue a statement on Kabashi's departure from the military headquarters.
After inspecting troops at the Wadi Sayyidna airbase, Kabashi flew to Port Sudan, some 830 kilometres northeast of Khartoum.
Kabashi meets al-Burhan
SAF leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had in August shifted his operating base to Port Sudan after the military headquarters came under RSF attacks.
Al-Burhan met Kabashi on Sunday, Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council said in a statement.
Sudanese media reported that there was speculation about Kabashi's health following his long absence from the limelight. Kabashi was reportedly receiving treatment at the army headquarters.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claims to have besieged the General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces, an allegation that SAF refutes.
During his public appearance in Wadi Sayyidna on Saturday, Kabashi said victory was "imminent" in SAF's battle with RSF.
Kabashi reassures Sudanese people
He said that RSF troops failed in their bid to capture the Karari military base in Omdurman, north of Khartoum, a region largely under the control of the paramilitary forces.
During his address, Kabashi told Sudanese people that the armed forces would wrest civilian settlements and property from RSF's control.
Kabashi said he had been instructed by SAF commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to inspect operations against RSF in different parts of the country.
The Sudanese conflict broke out on April 15, 2023 as the country prepared to return to civilian rule. SAF and RSF clashed over control of the nation.
At least 5,000 people have been killed, 12,000 injured and more than 5.7 million people forcibly displaced, according to human rights organisation Amnesty International.
