Sudan RSF attacks leave 200+ dead as it prepares political charter
3 Min Read
The Rapid Support Forces' attacks in the White Nile state have left many killed as they lose ground in central Sudan to the Sudanese Army.
-
RSF soldiers aboard military trucks, on 22 October 2024. (AP)
Attacks by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed more than 200 people over the past three days as the paramilitary group delays a political charter that could lead the country toward a breakaway government.
The RSF attacks were located in the White Nile state which emerged recently as a key battleground while the Sudanese army regains territory, with the attacks being focused in villages surrounding the al-Gitaina district according to Emergency Lawyers.
An eyewitness told Reuters that the RSF started its attack on Sunday morning using "all sorts of weapons firing randomly" killing dozens of people immediately and injuring much more. The attacks coincided with the RSF gathering allies politicians and armed group leaders in Kenya to sign a charter that would allow a "Government of Peace and Unity" to govern RSF territories.
Sudan military pushes back against RSF
The Sudanese military has retaken most of Khartoum North, intensifying its efforts to push back Rapid Support Forces to reclaim full control of the capital as it took over Kafouri, a wealthy district in the city of Khartoum North which served as a stronghold for RSF leadership and housing properties linked to the deputy commander of the Rapid Support Forces.
Sudan Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced plans to form a technocratic wartime government shortly after, and military sources added that this government is set to be established once the army fully gains control of Khartoum.
Burhan said, "We can call it a caretaker government, a wartime government—it will help us complete our military objectives, which include liberating Sudan from these rebels," during a meeting with pro-army politicians in Port Sudan.
Previously, the Sudanese Armed Forces announced advancements toward Wed Madani, and shortly after, they reclaimed the strategic city on January 12, more than a year after it fell to the RSF paramilitary group, which has been the center of much controversy for its war crimes.
The United States announced in January that the RSF had "committed genocide", imposing sanctions on the group's leader General Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, in a statement by then US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken said the determination was based on evidence of the RSF's "systematic" killing of men and boys and the targeted rape of women and girls from specific ethnic groups, adding, "The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible."
Dagalo was specifically targeted for his role and involvement in "gross violations of human rights in Darfur, namely the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his control."
