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Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Sudan's prime minister dissolves government, state news agency reports
SUNA did not specify when a new government, the first since war broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, would be announced. Idris was appointed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's head of state. The RSF has said since earlier this year that it would form its own parallel government with allied parties. Idris took the oath of office on Saturday as the country's first prime minister since a military-led coup in 2021. In a speech on Sunday, he vowed to remain at equal distance from all political parties and to prioritize stability, security, and reconstruction in Sudan.
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Sudan's prime minister dissolves government, state news agency reports
FILE PHOTO: Former UN official Kamil Idris is sworn in, as Sudan's new prime minister in front of Sudan army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (not pictured) in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 31, 2025. Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo CAIRO - Sudan's new Prime Minister Kamil Idris has dissolved the country's caretaker government, state news agency SUNA reported late on Sunday. SUNA did not specify when a new government, the first since war broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, would be announced. Idris was appointed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's head of state. The RSF has said since earlier this year that it would form its own parallel government with allied parties. Idris took the oath of office on Saturday as the country's first prime minister since a military-led coup in 2021. In a speech on Sunday, he vowed to remain at equal distance from all political parties and to prioritize stability, security, and reconstruction in Sudan. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Khartoum changes hands, marking a new phase in Sudan's civil war
Nearly two years after being forced to fall back to Port Sudan on the coast, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan are triumphantly back in charge of Khartoum, the capital. They still face resistance in areas south of the city and in the district of Omdurman on the west bank of the Nile. But the city's recapture marks a turning point in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 12m and caused one of the world's worst famines for decades. The question now is whether the SAF halts its advance or pushes westward. That will depend partly on pressure from the general's allies. The SAF has advanced on the battlefield in recent months largely thanks to a broad and diverse coalition assembled since the early months of the war, when it lost swathes of the country, including most of Khartoum, to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a descendant of the Janjaweed, an ethnically Arab militia that terrorised the vast western region of Darfur for two decades. The RSF is commanded by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, who is apparently determined to fight on. On the SAF's side are foreign backers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and neighbouring Egypt, which has reportedly provided air support. Looser associates include Russia, Turkey and Iran, which have sold the army weapons and drones. Some of those countries may now press General Burhan, who has doggedly refused peace talks, to negotiate with the RSF. To sweeten the deal, outsiders may offer to recognise an SAF-led government in Khartoum and help pay to rebuild the battered city. Yet competing interests among the army's domestic allies could scupper any such deal. The SAF has enlisted voluntary local defence units, composed of civilians enraged by the RSF's looting and terrorising of populations under its control, and militias from Darfur. It has also fought alongside jihadist brigades with links to the Islamist government of Omar al-Bashir that was ousted in 2019. Faced with the dilemma of whether to continue the fight westwards towards the RSF's base in Darfur, or to consolidate in Khartoum, this shaky alliance could well splinter. Prominent voices are urging it to push on. 'Darfur is part of Sudan,' says Amjed Farid, a former government official. 'The SAF should not surrender it to the RSF.' Many Darfuris, not least the ethnic African groups who have suffered atrocities including possible genocide at the hands of the RSF, probably feel the same. But such a push could easily end badly. The army has made the biggest recent gains in its traditional strongholds in central Sudan. A ground offensive in Darfur would entail battles on the RSF's home turf and stretched supply lines. As a commander during the first Darfur war, in the 2000s, General Burhan got bogged down in the region. Even with the support of local allies his forces could find themselves in a quagmire again. 'The Sudanese Armed Forces have never really won in Darfur,' says Kholood Khair of Confluence Advisory, a Sudanese think-tank. Still, for the moment there is little talk of a ceasefire or negotiations, at least in public. The SAF continues to bomb civilians: a strike on a market in Darfur on March 24th reportedly killed at least 54 people and injured dozens more. In Khartoum there are alarming reports of lawlessness. Gruesome videos have circulated in recent days appearing to show beheadings of suspected RSF collaborators by groups allied to the army. There are equally few signs that the RSF, despite its defeat in Khartoum and its recent insistence that it wished to begin dialogue, is ready to sue for peace. In February it announced the formation of a parallel government in the areas under its control. Its chief foreign supporter, the United Arab Emirates, does not appear to have stopped sending it weapons. Almost all of Sudan's immediate neighbours, except Egypt and Eritrea, now fall within the Emiratis' sphere of influence. This means the RSF should be able to continue resupplying itself. 'I'd be surprised if the RSF is going to take this one lying down,' says Alex Rondos, a former EU special representative to the Horn of Africa. In Khartoum and its surroundings the SAF's victory should at least make it easier for aid agencies to deliver food and other emergency supplies. That could stave off famine, temporarily reducing the misery for Sudanese in these areas. 'But does it actually bring the war closer to the end?' asks Payton Knopf, a former American diplomat. 'Probably not.'
Mada
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Mada
Sudan Nashra: Disputes in sovereignty council end with new prime minister appointment Bashir's party, international community welcome appointment; opposition, RSF reject it
On Tuesday, the military announced that it had completely expelled the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from central Sudan for the first time since the outbreak of the war, following its capture of the RSF's final strongholds in southern and western Omdurman and the northern White Nile State. In its statement, the military declared Khartoum State 'free of rebels.' The military now controls 10 of Sudan's 18 states, with the exception of limited pockets held by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and the RSF in the southeastern Blue Nile region. Meanwhile, the RSF maintains full control over the South, West, Central and East Darfur states, while North Darfur remains split. Most of the North and South Kordofan states are under military control, though the RSF and SPLM-N continue to hold several strongholds there. The RSF also dominates the majority of West Kordofan State. The military's recent statements included the release of an updated map showing the military's widespread control across the country. The day before the military's announcement also saw significant political developments. On Monday, Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Chair and military Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a series of key decrees. Amid mounting pressure from TSC members, Burhan reversed his earlier decision to appoint Sudan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dafallah al-Hajj Ali as prime minister. A diplomat who served for decades under ousted president Omar al-Bashir, Ali's nomination drew criticism over his ties to the former regime, especially in light of the sweeping powers Burhan recently granted to the premiership. In his place, Burhan appointed Kamel Idriss, a former United Nations official, as the new prime minister. Burhan also stripped TSC members of their oversight roles over federal ministries and institutions, a measure a source in the TSC said he had taken earlier in the war to avert institutional collapse. As part of the set of decrees issued on Monday, Burhan also appointed two new members to the TSC. By Tuesday morning, waves of international support began to pour in. African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf was the first to welcome the move, followed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Arab League later that evening. On Wednesday morning, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) also issued a statement of support. The international actors expressed hope that the decision would restore constitutional order, launch an inclusive Sudanese dialogue and end the civil war. Domestically, however, only the former ruling National Congress Party welcomed the move. The opposition outright rejected the appointment, joined by the RSF. They dismissed what they called the 'Port Sudan authority' as illegitimate and deemed the move meaningless, warning it could instead lead to further divisions in the country. Meanwhile, in Omdurman's Ombada locality, where the military claimed control last week, violence and security chaos persist. A member in the Ombada Emergency Room told Mada Masr that reports of abuses against civilians continue to surface, including arbitrary arrests and torture by military personnel, as well as attacks by criminal gangs affiliated with the RSF still operating in the area. *** Burhan appoints new prime minister after Transitional Sovereignty Council members rejected Sudan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia This week saw a flurry of political developments in Sudan, culminating in the appointment of former independent presidential hopeful and UN official Kamel Idriss as the new prime minister. This decision reversed the earlier nomination of Dafallah al-Hajj Ali, Sudan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The decision drew regional and international support, though it was met with sharp criticism from opposition parties and the RSF at home. Idriss's selection comes less than a month after Burhan had named Ali acting prime minister, marking the first appointment to the position since transitional Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned in January 2022. However, internal disputes within the military and the TSC — led by TSC member and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the military Shams Eddin Kabbashi and TSC Deputy Chair Malik Agar — led Burhan to seek an alternative candidate. Ali had already packed up and left the Sudanese embassy in Riyadh's diplomatic quarter to Port Sudan before he was forced to go back when tensions flared within the TSC, a source in the council told Mada Masr. At the center of the dispute was the scope of powers assigned to the position — endorsed by the selection committee and ratified by Burhan. These powers, which would have been assumed by Ali, include sweeping executive authority that would even extend to the signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement, who have operated with considerable autonomy within the government to this point. Further, the designated prime minister was expected to resume control over the Cabinet once Burhan rolled back his previous decision to grant ministerial control to the transitional council. Ali, a figure with extensive influence in Sudan's foreign affairs, had built a reputation as a key figure in post-April 2023 diplomacy. He spearheaded international engagement with neighboring and Gulf countries and earned Burhan's confidence as one of the military-led government's top representatives. However, his appointment raised concerns within the TSC. The council's members — particularly Shams Eddin Kabbashi and Malik Agar — objected to the concentration of powers in the hands of someone so closely tied to the old regime. Ali's diplomatic career, which began in 1980, unfolded largely under ousted president Omar al-Bashir, raising doubts about his ability to bring in new political faces. According to three sources in the TSC who spoke to Mada Masr, council members saw that such powers should be granted to a figure outside the former regime's circles. Burhan made his final decision during a closed-door TSC meeting on Sunday that lasted over five hours and focused on roles and powers, a source in the general secretariat of the prime minister's office told Mada Masr. In the end, Burhan selected Idriss, and the decision was met with no objection. Along with Idriss's appointment, Burhan named two new members to the TSC to represent Sudan's eastern and central regions. Nawara Abu Mohamed Mohamed was appointed as the representative for eastern Sudan, and Salma Abdel Gabbar — a former TSC member — was reinstated to represent central Sudan. Burhan had previously reshuffled the TSC in November 2021, replacing members affiliated with the revolutionary forces shortly after the October 25 coup. Among the new appointees at the time was Salma Abdel Gabbar, though she was later dismissed as talks over the December 5, 2022 political framework agreement gained momentum. Just before appointing Idriss as prime minister on Monday, Burhan issued a presidential decree on the same day rescinding the TSC's authority to oversee federal ministries, as has been awaited. A source in the TSC told Mada Masr that the appointment marks a return to the transitional framework outlined in the February amendments to the constitution, which granted the current ruling parties another 39-month transitional term. Burhan's earlier decision in August 2023 — which gave the TSC authority over ministries shortly after his departure from the General Command in Khartoum — was intended as an emergency measure to prevent state institutions from descending into chaos, the source said. A Foreign Ministry official criticized the old decree, arguing that it had obstructed Sudan's engagement with the African Union on lifting the country's suspension. The AU had refused to work with the transitional government, viewing it as an extension of the post-October 25, 2021 coup regime. Idriss, the newly appointed prime minister, was a presidential candidate in the 2010 elections held before South Sudan's secession. He holds a PhD in law and previously served as general director of the World Intellectual Property Organization from November 1997 to September 2008. He also held the post of secretary general at the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. The appointment garnered support from regional and international bodies. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the AU, IGAD, the Arab League and the UN issued statements expressing support and hope that the appointment would pave the way for an inclusive political process and help bring an end to the war. AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf described Idriss's appointment as a 'step toward inclusive governance.' He expressed hope that the move would contribute meaningfully to the ongoing efforts to restore constitutional order and democratic governance in Sudan. Youssouf also urged all Sudanese stakeholders to 'redouble their efforts toward a peaceful, civilian-led and inclusive transition that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people.' He reiterated the commission's readiness to support Sudan in cooperation with regional and international partners. Similarly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres voiced support for the move. In a statement delivered by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, Guterres expressed hope that the appointment would serve as one of 'the first steps toward inclusive consultations,' leading to the formation of a 'broad-based technocratic government' and forging peace. Guterres stressed the importance of consensus efforts to achieve tangible outcomes that benefit all Sudanese people 'by silencing the guns, delivering essential services to all the population and laying the groundwork for a common vision for Sudan's future.' IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu voiced similar support and hope that the appointment will be a 'meaningful step toward revising an inclusive political process,' reiterating IGAD's call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The Arab League also welcomed Idriss's appointment, calling it an important step toward restoring the work of national civil institutions. The Arab League's General Secretariat said the organization would ramp up its efforts to support Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, boost international responsiveness to the country's development and humanitarian needs, and help steer the civilian transition through a Sudanese-led inclusive political process involving all segments of civil society. *** Bashir's party welcomes Idriss's appointment as opposition, RSF reject it While opposition parties and the RSF rejected the appointment of Idriss as prime minister, the former ruling National Congress Party — now dissolved — welcomed the move. In a statement obtained by Mada Masr, the party's acting leader, Ahmed Haroun, praised the move as a restoration of full executive authority to the Cabinet and a step toward advancing the country's transition process. He described Idriss as a 'patriotic figure' qualified for the position. On the opposing front, strong criticism was voiced by the Democratic Civil Alliance of Revolutionary Forces (Sumud), headed by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. In a statement issued Wednesday — intended as a response to the AU Commission chairperson's expression of support for the appointment — Sumud described the move as a direct violation of AU protocols, which reject the constitutionality of any government formed after the October 25, 2021 coup. Sumud warned that the position expressed by Youssouf sends a message to the warring party seeking legitimacy to continue fighting in order to gain through war what it failed to secure through the coup, which millions of Sudanese people had taken to the streets to reject. In its statement, Sumud stressed that in the wake of a devastating war, no authority established by either of the warring factions — both of which executed the October 2021 coup — should be granted legitimacy in any part of Sudan. Offering such recognition, it argued, would only serve to prolong the war and ultimately lead to the country's fragmentation. The alliance also dismissed the claim that the appointment of a new prime minister was a step toward civilian rule, calling it a flawed, baseless argument. The October 25, 2021 coup, it said, had already torn up the constitution, and amendments later introduced by the 'Port Sudan authority' merely transformed it into a document centralizing power in the hands of the military. Any figure appointed under its provisions, the statement said, would be powerless and only serve to legitimize a government that has no legitimacy. The National Umma Party likewise rejected the appointment, describing the move as nothing more than political maneuvering that escalates the war and derails any productive political process. Speaking to Mada Masr, Emam al-Hilu, head of the party's Political Bureau for Policy and Peace Affairs, said that the current Sudanese government is a military regime borne of a coup, and accused it of dragging the country into war. He warned that the move would likely prompt the RSF to follow suit and form their own government, regardless of what it is called. All of this, he said, reflects a lack of seriousness and disregard for the welfare of civilians. The RSF had already announced in February plans to form a parallel government in Sudan, followed by its commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo's declaration of a presidential council in April. According to Hilu, Idriss's appointment in this manner would have no effect, expressing doubt that he would be able to contribute meaningfully to ending the war or advancing peace. Naming a prime minister at this stage, he said, was untimely, especially considering that TSC member Ibrahim Gaber already presented a political roadmap for resolving the war at the Arab League Summit in Baghdad in mid-May — a plan Sudan's Permanent Representative to the UN Al-Harith Idriss had submitted to the international body in February. If Burhan is serious, Hilu continued, he should instead work toward stopping the war, seek a ceasefire, show a willingness to revise certain terms in the roadmap and demonstrate readiness to stop the destruction unconditionally — even meeting with the RSF under the oversight of all domestic political powers and with international support. The opposition Sudanese Congress Party also rejected the appointment. The party's spokesperson, Nour Eddin Babiker, told Mada Masr that Burhan's appointments to the TSC and Cabinet are nothing more than a 'desperate attempt to distort reality and cover up the ongoing war crimes in Sudan.' Babiker stressed that the crisis in Sudan is not due to the absence of a prime minister, but rather a result of the devastating war ignited by the former regime. Portraying these appointments as a step toward stability, he argued, is merely an 'escape forward' from the country's core problem. This appointment, Babiker said, underscores the determination of Port Sudan's de facto authority to avoid confronting reality, continue the war and pursue false legitimacy through an exposed and discredited civilian facade. He warned that such appointments would only escalate tensions and further complicate the political scene, prompting the RSF to take similar steps — deepening Sudan's social and political divisions and compounding the country's suffering. No party holds legitimacy following the October 25 coup, the spokesperson said, describing any attempt to impose a new political reality 'amid the ashes of devastated cities' as a moral and political crime. Babiker argued that the only viable solution lies in an immediate ceasefire and a transition into serious negotiations that pave the way for an inclusive political process. This process, he said, must produce national consensus to end the existence of multiple armed groups and ensure fair power and wealth sharing, while guaranteeing equal citizenship free from ethnic, regional or religious discrimination and without foreign guardianship. The RSF echoed the stance of political opposition forces regarding the lack of legitimacy in Burhan's appointment of Idriss. Omran Abdallah, an advisor to Hemedti, told Mada Masr that the decision 'means nothing' — calling it a 'gift from someone who doesn't own it to someone who doesn't deserve it.' He stressed that Burhan lacks legitimacy and leads a de facto authority, and that the appointment of Idriss — or anyone else — is legally and constitutionally invalid. Abdallah added that the RSF does not recognize the move in any way and remains committed to uprooting the current regime. *** Military announces capital free of RSF presence Military spokesperson Nabil Abdallah declared on Tuesday that 'Khartoum State is completely free of the rebels,' after the military recaptured the Salha neighborhood, the villages of Gamuia and several other areas in western and southern Omdurman. Heavy clashes broke out on Monday and Tuesday as the military launched a multi-front offensive against RSF-held positions in southern and western Omdurman, a field source told Mada Masr. According to the source, over 13 units took part in the final push to retake the last RSF strongholds in Khartoum. The operation involved military troops, Central Reserve Police, intelligence forces, armed movements, Sudan Shield Forces and local mobilized fighters from the Gamuia villages. A missile strike targeted the RSF's communications center, the source said, causing confusion among its leadership and forcing some to flee. Fighting and pursuit operations continued for nearly ten hours before the military fully secured Gamuia villages, Salha, the neighborhoods of Gadin and Muweilah, the western entrance to Khartoum State via the Saderat road, and the RSF's main military camp in the area. In March, the military announced that Khartoum city was liberated a few days after it had seized the presidential palace and key government headquarters in central Khartoum. RSF fighters retreated en masse across the bridge toward Omdruman but the leadership insisted that their movements were merely 'strategically repositioning' in preparation for further battles. The military found large stocks of weapons and ammunition in Salha, a military source told Mada Masr, along with a large number of drones, operating stations and jamming systems. Several RSF armored vehicles were also captured. In a statement released on Thursday, the military said that its forces discovered mass graves inside a school in Salha during operations in Omdurman, where it said victims held by the RSF had been buried. The victims, according to the statement, were used as human shields in dire humanitarian conditions. The statement said that 648 civilians had been held inside the school, of whom 465 died due to severe neglect, malnutrition and lack of medical care. Some graves contained more than 27 bodies, according to the statement. The military added that its forces freed a large number of civilians and retired members of the regular forces who had been detained by the RSF in their homes on ethnic grounds despite having committed no crimes. Coinciding with the military's full control over Khartoum State, the government of the White Nile State also announced that its territory is now free of RSF presence, following the 18th Infantry Division's recapture of the Um Ramta locality to the north. RSF fighters had spread across several villages in the northern White Nile State, engaging in repeated clashes with the military, intelligence forces, Sudan Shield Forces and local mobilized fighters. The fiercest of these battles took place on Monday, ending with the RSF's defeat and the military's retaking of the villages of Alga and Sheikh al-Siddig, a field source told Mada Masr. A former Sudanese military officer told Mada Masr that securing the capital and clearing the White Nile State of RSF fighters opens the path for the military's advance toward the Kordofan and Darfur regions. He suggested that the city of Bara in North Kordofan could become a key battleground in the coming period. RSF fighters from Omdurman and the White Nile villages had dispersed and retreated to North Kordofan, according to the officer. Some withdrew to Gabra al-Sheikh on the road to Darfur, others arrived in Bara, while a third group camped in the village of Rahid al-Nuba and surrounding areas, attempting to establish a defensive line to protect Bara and halt the military's advance into Kordofan. *** Security conditions worsen in Omdurman's Ombada despite military control The security and humanitarian situations in western Omdurman's Ombada locality continue to deteriorate despite the military's full takeover of the area. Prior to the military's incursion, the locality's residents had already endured repeated acts of violence at the hands of RSF fighters and allied criminal gangs. But since the military launched its campaign in late March — culminating in full control of the locality last week — residents were subjected to a new wave of abuses by military personnel, including arbitrary arrests and torture, a member of the Ombada Emergency Room told Mada Masr. Unidentified gangs have also emerged in the wake of the military's advance, spreading terror among civilians in recent weeks. The military asserted its full control of the locality last week after gradually securing parts of it over the past two months. The operations, the source said, involved heavy troop movements into RSF-held areas, which led to direct abuses by fighters from both sides, in addition to civilian harm caused by the use of explosives, shelling and gunfire during clashes. The emergency room received reports from the Dar Essalam neighborhood of armed gangs attacking markets and breaking into homes using bladed weapons, according to the source. The gangs loot and terrorize residents, verbally abusing them and accusing them of collaborating with either the RSF or military intelligence, depending on the gang's alignment. The source also pointed to the continued presence of gangs previously armed by the RSF. They have been involved in killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and holding residents hostage for ransom — a practice that has become widespread across many parts of Ombada — on top of direct abuses by RSF fighters, the source said. In the weeks leading up to the military's full takeover of Ombada, the emergency room documented several incidents of violence, according to the source. These include the killing of a volunteer in the emergency room in Block 30 by RSF fighters on April 22. Two days later, RSF fighters launched a violent raid on the Fashet al-Hawawir area, killing one person and looting property. The following day, heavily armed fighters on motorcycles stormed the Bock 22 market, looted shops and set fire to buildings. In May, the emergency room recorded an incident in Block 26 in which four members of the same family were killed while defending their home from a large, heavily armed RSF unit on motorcycles. In other incidents, the store of the finance officer of the joint emergency room in Block 29 was looted, and a civilian was shot at point-blank range in Block 27 as he attempted to leave Dar Essalam for the Sabreen area. The source noted the ongoing storming and looting of markets, particularly in Dar Essalam, where thousands of residents now face severe food shortages. The situation has been made worse by the shutdown of charity kitchens due to the absence of funding and donations, raising fears of impending famine. The health sector in Ombada has also completely collapsed, the source added, following the closure of the Rajhy and Iskan hospitals, leaving patients without access to treatment, follow-up care or diagnostics services. Since the beginning of May, the emergency room recorded 329 cases of acute watery diarrhea and 1,038 cases of malnutrition, mostly among children, pregnant women and the elderly. There have also been 1,439 malaria cases and 526 cases of dengue fever, according to the source. The closure of emergency health centers could signal a major public health disaster, the source warned, especially after medical staff were subjected to arrests by military forces following their incursion into Ombada, forcing many healthcare workers to flee the area. Volunteers have also been targeted with arbitrary arrests and harassment, along with their families — first by the RSF, and now by the military. The source said they have been subjected to torture, detention, and looting of their remaining possessions. The emergency room is calling on human rights groups and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene and evacuate volunteers as soon as possible, the source added.
Al-Ahram Weekly
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Sudan denies using chemical weapons after US imposes sanctions - War in Sudan
Sudan's army-aligned government on Friday denied US allegations that it had used chemical weapons in its war against paramilitary rivals, a day after Washington said it would impose sanctions. The reaction by the government spokesman comes after the United States claimed on Thursday that Sudan's military used chemical weapons in the country's bloody civil war last year and will impose sanctions. "These baseless accusations are nothing but political blackmail and a deliberate falsification of the facts," Information Minister Khalid al-Aiser said in a statement, responding to sanctions announced by Washington targeting US exports to Sudan and the government's access to US credits. The US State Department said it notified Congress on Thursday of its determination on the use of chemical weapons, triggering sanctions after 15 days. The sanctions include restrictions on US exports and financing to Sudan's government. In practical terms, the effect will be limited as both Sudan's military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his adversary and former deputy, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, are already under US sanctions. Africa's third largest country has been ravaged by more than two years of war between their respective forces. The Sudan conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million and created what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. 'False narrative' "The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations" under the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international treaty signed by nearly all countries that prohibits their use, the State Department said on Thursday. The government, now based in Port Sudan, on Friday denounced the accusations that the army had engaged in chemical warfare against its rivals. "This false narrative, which the American administration is trying to spread internationally, is just another attempt to mislead public opinion," Aiser said, accusing Washington of "complicity" with the RSF. Sudan's army said on Tuesday it had dislodged the RSF from their last positions in Omdurman, securing all of greater Khartoum nearly two months after recapturing the heart of the capital. The war has effectively split Sudan in two, with the army holding the centre, north and east while the RSF controls nearly all of Darfur and, with its allies, parts of the south. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
