Sudan army deputy warns weapon spread bigger threat than RSF

May 3, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – The proliferation of weapons in Sudan poses a greater challenge than the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a top general said on Saturday, also warning against the risks of communal polarization.

General Shams al-Din Kabbashi, the army’s Assistant Commander-in-Chief and a member of the ruling Sovereign Council, made the remarks in Port Sudan.

“The current situation has resulted in the spread of weapons, and this is a major challenge, more dangerous than the visible enemy,” Kabbashi said, referring to the RSF, in remarks to state governors and ministers at the Red Sea state government headquarters.

Kabbashi called for combat forces to be withdrawn from cities the army has recaptured, saying the police should handle internal security tasks there.

“In some cities and states, we see a large concentration of forces that we need on the front lines,” he added. “These areas need police forces, and we recommend providing for their needs.”

He acknowledged indiscipline among some army-aligned forces in cities and urged governors to facilitate their replacement by police, allowing combat troops to move to the battlefronts.

Kabbashi warned that the war had fuelled hate speech, racism and regionalism, stressing this was “unacceptable.” He called on governors to address the issue of native administrations – traditional tribal leadership structures – whose leaders may have sided with the RSF.

“The war is heading towards its end, but we face the reality of a lack of social cohesion, where fractures have occurred that require careful handling,” he continued.

A new draft law concerning native administration is being prepared, Kabbashi said.

Governors must also manage the Popular Resistance militias aligned with the army, ensuring they operate within a “proper framework,” Kabbashi said. He added the state rejected any armed groups outside this umbrella: “Anyone who comes to us in a uniform other than the Popular Resistance’s must take it off.”

Kabbashi said the Sovereignty Council had decided to stop receiving tribal delegations in Port Sudan as they had become disruptive. “Tribal coordination bodies will not be an alternative to native administration; they are unhelpful, and delegations must come in the name of the states,” he stressed.

Measures to counter strategic drones used to bomb service facilities would be implemented soon, Kabbashi said. He reiterated the army’s position that the RSF is merely a tool in a larger conspiracy targeting Sudan.