More than eight months into the war between the SAF and the RSF, the RSF has turned the tide, gaining the advantage in the fighting.
The Sudanese government has once again urged the UN Security Council to classify the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a terrorist organisation and to sanction countries that have sustained the paramilitary force, as per the Sudan Tribune.
According to the Sudanese news portal, the call by the Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council and Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan comes amid a report by the UN panel of experts on Sudan, which highlights how the RSF receives military supplies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via Chad and Libya.
Seen by the Sudan Tribune, the 47-page report details that there have been war crimes committed by the RSF and allied Arab militias in the Darfur region.
It estimates that “In El Geneina alone, between 10,000 and 15,000 people were killed.”
Earlier this week, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry condemned the continued supply of refined weapons to the RSF by the UAE and other unknown countries.
The ministry claimed that the UAE’s support enables the RSF to expand its military operations, commit atrocities against civilians, and prolong the war in Sudan.
Speculation over the UAE’s role in Sudan is nothing new, as earlier last month, Sudan’s Army publicly denounced UAE interference in the war, leading to harsh exchanges and the expulsion of diplomats.
The RSF has left 5,000 civilians dead and displaced more than four million people since April 2023.
The Emirates have urged that their presence at the border with Sudan is humanitarian despite U.S. officials stating otherwise.
Per the New York Times, a former senior U.S. official said the UAE is backing Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, known as Hemeti, for his relationship with the Gulf country.
“The Emiratis see Hemeti as their guy. We’ve seen it elsewhere — they take one guy, then back him all the way,” said a former senior U.S. official.
However, the U.S. and the U.N. have yet to classify the RSF as a terrorist organisation.
The Sudanese government, under Burhan, has continuously called for international pressure to be placed on the paramilitary forces.
Speaking at the United Nations last September, Burhan called the RSF a terrorist organisation and to target its sponsors outside Sudan’s borders – as it shares ties with Russia’s Wagner mercenaries.
“The danger of this war is now a threat to regional and international peace and security as those rebels have sought the support of outlaws and terrorist groups from different countries in the region and the world,” Burhan said.
“This is like the spark of war, a war that will spill over to other countries in the region,” he said.
