RSF advisor hints at possible attacks on central, east and central Sudan
August 19, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) political advisor Youssif Ezzat has raised the prospect of targeting states that have declared their allegiance to the Sudanese army and have mobilized their youth to join its ranks.
The protracted conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has entered its fifth month without a lasting ceasefire agreement between the two factions.
The Sudanese army trains young people in combat skills to participate in battles against paramilitary forces and sets up training camps for thousands of volunteers across the country’s central, northern and eastern regions of the country. The RSF has earned a notorious reputation due to its involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians in Khartoum and Darfur, including murder, rape, theft, car hijacking, and occupying homes.
The political advisor for the RSF leader told Sudan Tribune that if the war persists, their forces might reconsider its policy of abstaining from attacks on the other regions, where military training camps are established to train volunteers to fight the paramilitary forces.
“Who is currently spearheading the operations on the ground, following the deployment of the Special Operations Forces directed by Islamic leaders,” Ezzat inquired.
“Can al-Burhan halt the war in the army’s name or in the name of those mobilized volunteers? And do these fighters belong to the armed forces or are they backers of the former regime?” He further questioned.
He underlined that the RSF constitutes a faction of the army and does not bear animosity towards it. He added they specifically target individuals who align themselves with the former regime both within and outside the military.
The advisor accused what he termed “remnants of the former regime” of orchestrating the mobilization efforts, emphasizing that the RSF has been combating the Islamists since the conflict’s inception.
“Wad Ibrahim’s public appearances exhort the mobilized individuals residing along the Nile River, while (the ICC wanted former minister and governor) Ahmed Haroun does the same in the East. It is the Islamists everywhere who are rallying the youth to fight alongside the army,” he added.
Retired Brig Gen Mohamed Ibrahim, known as “Wad Ibrahim,” was a prominent Islamist officer within the Sudanese army. He was discharged from the army in 2012 following allegations of involvement in a plot to overthrow former President Omer al-Bashir. After the eruption of the war last April, he expressed willingness to fight within the Sudanese army’s ranks. However, the army leadership declined his offer. Nonetheless, he continued to encourage young individuals to volunteer to counter Hemitti’s forces.
(ST)