Darfur leaders urged RSF to cease attack on El-Fasher, Idris says
December 12, 2023 (NAIROBI) – Al-Hadi Idris, Chairman of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council (SLM-TC), has revealed direct communications with the deputy commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Abdel Rahim Dagalo, urging him to halt an impending attack on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
In November 2023, the RSF seized control of four states in the Darfur region and declared their intention to attack El Fasher and extend their dominance over the entire region. This move prompted the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) led by Minni Minawi and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) headed by Gibril Ibrahim to abandon their neutrality and join forces with the Sudanese army to oppose the Rapid Support Forces.
Al-Hadi Idris, who was recently ousted from the Sovereign Council, cautioned that this attack could transform the conflict from an inter-military struggle into a tribal war. “There’s a tendency to transform the ongoing war into a tribal conflict,” he asserted to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday. “If this happens, it will ignite war throughout the region, turning the conflict into a social one instead of a fight between the army and the Rapid Support.”
Idris also highlighted that Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF) chairman and fellow dismissed Sovereign Council member Al-Tahir Hajer participated in these communications with Abdel Rahim Dagalo. They informed him of the potential consequences of attacking El Fasher, including the displacement of civilians and the risk of heavy casualties.
Idris confirmed that they had established an agreement for the joint force tasked with protecting civilians and commercial and humanitarian convoys during a meeting with the joint force leaders and Abdel Rahim Dagalo. During this meeting, a memorandum was delivered outlining the movements’ demand to halt the attack on El Fasher.
However, he lamented, “On the same day as this meeting, a press conference was held in Port Sudan, where the Justice and Equality Movement led by Gibril Ibrahim and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Arko Minawi announced their abandonment of neutrality and alignment with the army.”
Idris explained that the RSF had informed them that if the joint force adhered to the Port Sudan Declaration, they would cease cooperation. This is because their movements require prior coordination between the two parties, and with the end of neutrality, there would be no coordination, disrupting all activities of the joint command.
“Therefore, no statement was issued praising what happened in Port Sudan,” he stated. “We are currently working on issuing a statement in which the parties declare their commitment to neutrality, particularly since the convoys going to Khartoum have stopped and the convoys from El Fasher to Kosti of the White Nile State have also stopped following the ‘confusion’ that occurred.”
Idris emphasized that “there was no response to the Port Sudan Declaration (among the armed groups on the ground in Darfur), nor has any of the movements aligned themselves with either the army or Rapid Support.”
“Therefore, the announcement of fighting alongside the army was merely political rhetoric with no substance,” he concluded.
The Rapid Support’s control over four states in Darfur has raised concerns among various armed groups that paramilitary forces could exploit the war to seize control of the region and its resources.
In response, the SLM led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur, a non-signatory group, deployed its forces in El Fasher. Additionally, splits have emerged within the ranks of movements committed to neutrality, with several leaders announcing their joining the Sudanese army to defend El Fasher.
(ST)