Protests over living costs and basic services in Sudan’s Gedaref State have added to the pressure on army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan as the country’s war enters its fourth year.

Demonstrations began on 20 September and spread to several neighbourhoods of Gedaref city, according to Ayman Hariri, a member of the local Resistance Committees quoted by Sudanese newspaper Medameek. He said residents were struggling with soaring prices, fuel shortages and the rising cost of everyday goods.

Hariri named Al-Tadamun, Al-Jeneina, Abkar Jibril and the October Extensions among the areas where protests had taken place. The supplied account also says security authorities arrested and prosecuted protesters and civil activists. The number of people detained and the circumstances of their arrests have not been independently established.

The Resistance Committees accuse the state authorities of failing to address residents’ needs while spending public money on projects they say offer little benefit. Hariri said the committees were preparing to broaden their peaceful protests across the state and called for the authorities to hand power back to civilians.

“We have reached the conclusion that the current authorities are illegitimate and that no economic or security stability can be achieved under them,” he told Medameek.

The committees have separately alleged that public funds were used to organise demonstrations supporting al-Burhan after the United States withheld a visa for his planned visit to the United Nations General Assembly. The account supplied for this report gives conflicting figures for the alleged expenditure — 50 billion and 50 million Sudanese pounds — and provides no records establishing that the payment was made. The allegation has therefore not been confirmed.

The protests come amid a diplomatic dispute over al-Burhan’s status. A US State Department spokesperson said last week that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the rival Rapid Support Forces, or their leaders, represented “legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan”. Sudan’s government rejected the remarks and called on Washington to respect its sovereignty.

The United States also withheld a visa for al-Burhan ahead of the UN gathering amid efforts to secure a 90-day ceasefire. Sudanese officials objected to the move, while the country’s UN ambassador appealed to Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene.

Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023. The conflict has displaced more than 14 million people and created one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises.

In January 2025, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on al-Burhan. It said the action followed sanctions against Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo earlier that month.

For residents protesting in Gedaref, the immediate demands centre on prices, fuel and services. Their demonstrations also reflect a wider dispute over who should govern Sudan and how a war that has devastated civilian life can be brought to an end.