Sudan slams US for failure to condemn Rapid Support Forces attacks ‘in a clear, unequivocal manner’

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Sudan called on the US on Thursday to stop making “unfounded allegations” that the Sudanese army carries out "indiscriminate aerial bombardments or hinders the delivery of humanitarian aid" to those affected by the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in North Darfur's capital El Fasher.

The US Department of State had warned against the attacks launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry affirmed in a statement its support for the concerns raised by its US counterpart, saying the RSF “razed multiple villages west of El Fasher, and that the displaced people in the city, estimated at hundreds of thousands, are the ones who will be the victims of the RSF militia’s expected attack.”

However, the ministry reiterated “its complete rejection of the underlying and unjust equation in the US Department's statement between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the national army supported by the Sudanese people, and a terrorist militia, which is dominated by foreign mercenaries.”

“It is therefore puzzling that the Department of State consistently avoids condemning the Militia in a clear and unequivocal manner, without linking it to false allegations against the SAF,” added the ministry statement.

In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of State, about indications it received on an imminent offensive on El Fasher, said SAF and RSF leaders “escalate the violence and perpetuate the suffering of their people while risking the disintegration of their country.”​​​​​​​

El Fasher serves as the administrative center of the Darfur region comprising five states. It is the largest city in Darfur and the only one among the capitals of the other states in the region that has not fallen into the hands of the Rapid Support Forces.

The Sudanese army controls El Fasher, and it is supported by armed movements that signed the Juba peace agreement with the government in 2020. Among these movements are the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement led by Gibril Ibrahim.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army, led by Sovereignty Council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemeti," have been engaged in a war that resulted in around 15,000 deaths and displaced more than 8 million people, according to the UN.