Sudanese army retains control of strategic points in capital, says ambassador

By Tugba Altun

ANKARA (AA) — As fighting in Sudan continues in its third week between the army and a paramilitary group, the armed forces remains in control of strategic locations in the capital city, the country's ambassador to Türkiye said on Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu about the current situation in the conflict-torn North African nation, Nadir Yousif Eltayeb said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) held scattered areas in Khartoum, particularly in residential areas.

Some friendly nations have made attempts to secure a temporary cease-fire to bring in much-needed humanitarian aid, Eltayeb pointed out, though noting that these truces "have been interrupted by the RSF, four times or five times until the end of yesterday."

"Whenever we do agree on a cease-fire for three days, then they start violating it," he said.

The envoy stressed that they were trying to end the conflict as soon as possible, noting that many had been injured in the fighting.

"The situation should be described properly, it is a rebellion against us, the government," Eltayeb said.

He went on: “The Army is now fighting this rebellion as part of its duty as a national army, it has to fight this thing until it gets finished. Otherwise, it is going to cause chaos and disintegration of the country."

Khartoum has been engulfed by violence since April 15, with fighting between the army and the RSF. More than 550 people have been killed, with over 5,000 injured, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and RSF regarding the group's integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

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."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, is scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

- Security 'biggest challenge' in framework agreement

Eltayeb underlined that the RSF's resistance to integrating with the army was one of the major factors impeding the implementation of a "framework agreement" signed between the Sovereign Council, made up of military members, and civilians in December.

The sides agreed on almost all other issues, especially political matters, though security has always been "a real problem," he said.

Underscoring that the RSF insisted on completing the integration process over a period of 10 years, Eltayeb said this was "not practical," with the army saying two years were enough to complete the process.

Despite the fact that the sides had agreed to work together, the RSF's insistence on taking a decade for integration had a negative effect on the agreement's implementation, as well as the negotiation process between the parties.

- Evacuations

On efforts by other countries to pull their diplomatic staff and nationals out of Sudan, Eltayeb said Türkiye had "successfully" completed the evacuation process for over 2,000 Turkish citizens by air and land.

Saudi Arabia also conducted evacuation efforts from the country to the city of Jeddah on the opposite shore of the Red Sea, while 2,000-3,000 people had been evacuated by the US, he said, adding that other countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa had also gotten their people out of Sudan.

"So, evacuation is still going on, but almost finished," he said, adding that the country was also hosting refugees from more than five countries, including neighboring Ethiopia, Chad, South Sudan.

Stressing Sudan's strategic importance in the region, Eltayeb said the ongoing violence was "going to affect the stability" of its neighbors, economically and even militarily.

He stressed, however, that Sudan was working to end the conflict as soon as possible.

The envoy thanked Türkiye for its sincere support and initiatives, saying that Ankara was aware that Sudan was a strategic partner.

He also pointed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's phone calls with the chief of the Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fettah al-Burhan and Deputy Chairman and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo.