November 18, Nairobi — Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) called for an immediate ceasefire to end the ongoing conflict in a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya on Monday.
The paramilitary claimed they had engaged seriously in all peace initiatives, and said that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have constantly undermined peace efforts and refused to hand over power to civilians. Both parties are facing accusations of serious human rights abuses against civilians as violence continues to escalate in Sudan. Last week, Human Rights Watch said the RSF has “killed, injured, and unlawfully detained scores of civilians and raped women and girls.”
On accusations of violence, the RSF admitted to “some violations” committed by different parties and claimed they detained alleged perpetrators at Monday’s press conference.
“The violations are the symptoms of war,” Mohamed Al Mukhtar Al Nour, spokesperson of the RSF delegation said. “If there is war, there will absolutely be violations.”
This came amid the latest reports of RSF attacks. On Monday, the RSF was also accused of launching drones on an airport in River Nile state, northern Sudan. The drones were allegedly shot down.
In El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, where fighting is escalating, two people were killed and at least a dozen injured on Sunday in artillery shelling by the RSF on the Saudi Maternity and Gynecology Hospital. The RSF also attacked surrounding villages as it attempts to take control of El Fasher, one of the SAF’s last strongholds in the region. Last week, the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health said that the RSF is advancing on multiple fronts and tightening their encirclement of El Fasher.
Foreign Intervention
Last week, Amnesty International said that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was using French-manufactured military technology, supplied by the United Arab Emirates, on the battlefield. The UAE has been repeatedly accused of funding and fueling the RSF’s war effort.
At Monday’s press conference in Nairobi, the RSF delegation denied any military assistance from the UAE or any foreign country. They said there was some international “humanitarian assistance.”
The delegation accused Egypt of supporting the SAF, providing them with eight fighter jets, arms and ammunition. They said there would be “no hostility” with Egypt if they stopped intervening in the conflict in Sudan.