Sudan probes armed groups for destabilizing Border

January 31, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese authorities are conducting intensive investigations with former military forces personnel, and individuals from armed groups in a camp on Sudan’s western border.

Members of the armed group have been arrested by a joint force after pursuits alongside the border with the Central African Republic (CAR).

Since last December there were reports about armed groups from Sudan and Chad operating along the border area with Chad and CAR. Some reports say they are recruited by the armed movements hostile to the Russian-backed government in Bangui.

Last month, the Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti”, requested the Security and Defense Council to dissolve these forces and to arrest its members immediately.

Multiple sources spoke to Sudan Tribune, the Council in a meeting held last week directed to form

a task force to pursue, arrest, investigate members of these groups, and find out their goals.

“The authorities detained some of them, and they are currently under investigation after their transfer to Khartoum,” confirmed the sources.

Addressing the 56th shooting festival in Ad Damazin, the capital of the Blue Nile region, two weeks ago, the Commander in Chief of the Sudanese army Abdel Fattah al-Burhan expressed Sudan’s keenness on stability in the region, stressing that the army does not recruit mercenaries to destabilize neighbouring countries.

Burhan’s statement seemed to be a response to Hemetti’s speech on January 3 when he disclosed that they thwarted an attempt to overthrow the regime in the Central African Republic (CAR), and seized a group distributing the RSF “uniform” there.

Press reports said that there is a widening split between Burhan and his deputy Hemedti, over dealing with the armed forces on the border with CAR.

During a meeting with the Chairman of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Ndjamena on January 29, the Chadian leader Mohamat Deby voiced concern about the deployment of the RSF troops along the border and the CAR border.

Al-Burhan and Deby agreed to revitalize the joint border force and bolster its operations. Also, they agreed to share intelligence as the presence of the Russian Wagner contractors in the triangle border zone has become a source of concern for the stability of the Chadian government.

(ST)