Military commanders in Khartoum pledged on Sunday to withdraw their forces from the capital by an agreed-upon deadline and stated that they would disavow any fighters who remain, part of a plan to restore civilian life to the war-ravaged city.

The pledge was made during a meeting of a government committee tasked with clearing military formations from the capital, the police press office stated in a press release. The commanders “announced their disclaimer of responsibility for any presence of armed forces and formations in Khartoum after the expiration of the agreed-upon time limit,” the statement said.

It added that security services would deal “decisively and deterrently” with any armed presence after the deadline.

The move is part of a broader effort to demilitarize the capital to allow for the return of hundreds of thousands of residents displaced by the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023.

On July 18, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan formed the committee to oversee the evacuation of armed groups and prepare for the return of civilians.

While the army and its allies control most of Khartoum, the city remains heavily militarized. The state government is undertaking a massive effort to mitigate the effects of the war, including clearing rubble, removing unexploded ordnance, and restoring power and water services.

The demilitarization is seen as a critical step ahead of the government’s planned return to the capital from its current base in Port Sudan. Last week, Prime Minister Kamel Idris announced that federal government institutions would move back to Khartoum in October, coinciding with the planned reopening of the city’s international airport.(Sudantribune)