OIC labels Sudan’s RSF a ‘rebel force’

September 1, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has labelled Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a “rebel force”, the Sudanese foreign ministry said on Saturday, the first time an international body has used the term.

The designation came in a resolution issued at the end of a meeting of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers in Cameroon, the ministry said.

The RSF has been battling Sudan’s army since April 2023 in a conflict that has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 4 million. The RSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The resolution expressed the OIC’s “full solidarity with Sudan in confronting the ongoing armed conflict”, and stressed “the importance of preserving Sudan’s security, stability, and unity”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The resolution also said that the Jeddah platform, a Saudi and U.S.-backed initiative that hosted several rounds of talks between the two sides earlier this year, was “the basis for any negotiation process”.

Acting Foreign Minister Hussein Awad Ali called the designation a victory for Sudanese diplomacy and said his country would continue to work at international and regional forums to expose the RSF’s “war crimes and violations”.