EDITED – Systematic attacks against civilians by Sudan’s RSF ‘will not go unpunished’: African Union envoy

By Adel Abdelrheem and Rania Abu Shamala

KHARTOUM, Sudan/ ISTANBUL (AA) – The African Union envoy to Sudan, Mohamed Belaiche, said Friday that “systematic” attacks against civilians by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “will not go unpublished.”

Belaiche delivered a message to chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan from African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf during a meeting in Port Sudan.

“The systematic attacks against civilians, the killing of innocents, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure by the RSF are condemned acts in the strongest terms,” he said in comments carried by the state news agency SUNA.

“Their perpetrators will not escape accountability.”

The AU envoy said his meeting with Burhan was “a valuable opportunity to consult on the most effective ways to advance national, regional, and international efforts to secure stability and security in Sudan,” describing the country as pivotal to the region and a cornerstone of the pan-African organization.

Belaiche said he listened to the views of the Sudanese leadership on the situation and prospects for a solution.

He affirmed the AU commitment to supporting Sudan’s sovereignty and unity.

“There is no room for the presence of any parallel institution on Sudanese soil,” he said, underlining the importance of a peaceful political solution to the conflict in Sudan through an inclusive national dialogue.

In another meeting, Belaiche met with Sudanese Prime Minister Kamal Idris, according to SUNA.

Idris said the Sudanese government welcomes all efforts aimed at achieving peace, security and stability in the country.

Sudanese authorities, along with UN and international human rights organizations, accuse the RSF of committing crimes against humanity and human rights violations, including killings, torture, looting, and shelling of civilian facilities, schools and hospitals.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.