Attacks by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed more than 200 people over the past three days, activists reported on Tuesday, as the paramilitary group delayed signing a political charter that could lead to a breakaway government.
After nearly two years of war between the RSF and Sudan’s army, the paramilitary group controls most of western Sudan and parts of Khartoum but has been losing ground in central Sudan.
White Nile state has become a key battleground as the army regains territory. Activists said the RSF attacks took place in villages around the town of al-Gitaina, with Emergency Lawyers monitoring the conflict’s impact on civilians.
One eyewitness told Reuters by phone: “The RSF attacked on Sunday morning… with all sorts of weapons firing randomly, and so dozens of people were killed instantly and more were injured.”
The RSF could not immediately be reached for comment.
The war in Sudan has created what the UN has called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and both the RSF and army have been accused of extensive human rights violations. The United States has determined that the RSF has committed genocide in areas under its control.
The attacks came as the RSF had assembled allied politicians and armed group leaders in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to sign a charter that would provide for a “Government of Peace and Unity” to govern the territories the force controls.
The charter could mark a turning point in the war, cementing a split along battle lines even as the fight for control over some areas rages on.
However, politician Fadlallah Burma Nasir, head of the Umma Party which is split over whether to participate, said that the signing of the charter was postponed until later in the week to allow for a fuller representation from rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu’s SPLM-N.
The SPLM-N is a large military faction that controls wide swathes of the famine-stricken South Kordofan and Blue Nile states and had not previously taken a firm position in the conflict between the army and the RSF.
Source: Dunya News
