Sudan says ongoing military clashes ‘internal affair’

By Bahram Abdel Moneim

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – The Sudanese Foreign Ministry on Monday described the military clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as an “internal affair.”

A ministry statement said it appreciates Arab, African and international efforts to calm the situation in the country.

“We want to affirm that this is an internal affair that should be left to the Sudanese to achieve the required settlement, away from international interference,” it added.

The ministry blamed the RSF for triggering the current cycle of violence in Sudan, accusing it of attacking the residence of army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

“This showed the bad faith on the part of the RSF,” the statement added.

A disagreement between the army and the RSF regarding military and security reform, which envisages the full participation of the RSF in the army, has turned into a hot conflict in the last few months.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface last week, when the army said recent movements by the RSF had occurred without coordination and were illegal.

The tension escalated into fighting in the capital Khartoum and its surrounding areas on Saturday, killing at least 97 people and injuring hundreds, according to local medics.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.”

Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara