Sudan’s joint rebel forces say Khartoum deployments coordinated with army

April 29, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s joint rebel forces on Wednesday said their recent military movements were coordinated with the army leadership and posed no threat to civilians, following reports of friction within the pro-government alliance.

The Joint Force, comprised of former rebel groups that signed the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, issued the statement after a large convoy arrived in Khartoum from El Obeid in North Kordofan. The move coincided with media reports of a rift between army leadership and Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, who heads the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

“All movements of the force are carried out according to the directives and instructions of the state’s command and control room,” a spokesperson for the Joint Force said in a statement.

The spokesperson added that the deployments were part of “precise military plans aimed at establishing security, stability, and protecting civilians.”

The statement accused unnamed parties of launching systematic social media campaigns to mislead the public and spread falsehoods against the Joint Force and the military. It described these efforts as “psychological warfare” triggered by recent field advances that had “confused the calculations” of the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Joint Force includes the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Minni Minawi; Gibril Ibrahim’s JEM; and factions of the Sudan Liberation Council and the SLM-Transitional Council. These groups have been fighting alongside the Sudanese army since the early months of the conflict that began in April 2023.

Military leadership has been working to integrate these joint forces into the regular army in accordance with the security arrangements outlined in the Juba peace deal.