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Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Sudan: Gum arabic haul worth $75m seized by RSF in Kordofan looting spree
Lorries containing around 10,000 tonnes of gum arabic worth tens of millions of dollars were looted by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters in Sudan earlier this month and have disappeared, traders and officials told Middle East Eye. The shipment was being held in more than 400 vehicles alongside other crops ready for export from the West Kordofan town of al-Nahud when the RSF seized the area from the Sudanese military on 2 May. After taking al-Nahud, a centre for gum arabic cultivation and a strategic point on the road that links army-dominated eastern Sudan and the RSF-held west, fighters ransacked homes, shops and businesses. Gum arabic traders told MEE this process is ongoing, as RSF fighters attempt to break into warehouses and stores containing the valuable product across the states of West Kordofan and North Kordofan, where there is intense fighting. Two traders who have been directly impacted by the thefts suggested that the gum arabic looted in recent days in and around al-Nahud is worth around $75m at today's inflated prices. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Traders told MEE that around a third of gum arabic cultivated this year has been looted by the RSF, which they say is worth up to $125m. MEE has asked the RSF for comment. A report by UN investigators delivered to the United Nations Security Council last month estimated that the conflict had led to the loss of at least 90,000 tonnes of gum arabic worth $200m. Prices have risen sharply over the two years of conflict. Gum arabic is used as a key emulsifier and stabiliser in various foods, cosmetics and medicine, including Coca-Cola and popular chocolate products such as M&Ms. Harvested by extracting the dried sap of certain acacia trees, it is found across the Sahel region. However, up to 80 percent of the world's gum arabic was sourced from Sudan before war broke out between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in April 2023. Traders say two-thirds of Sudan's gum arabic is sourced from Kordofan, an arid southern region where hostilities have escalated this year. Al-Nahud is the second-largest gum arabic hub after al-Obeid in neighbouring North Kordofan state. 'At the beginning of the war, al-Nahud was safe because it was between areas controlled by the RSF and SAF so far away from the fighters and soldiers,' Said Mohammed al-Tahir, a gum arabic trader from the town now based in Port Sudan, told MEE. 'But after SAF established a unit in al-Nahud and more soldiers came after withdrawing from areas of Darfur like Nyala and al-Fasher, it began attracting the attention of the RSF.' Smuggling boom The RSF and Sudanese army began fighting in 2023 when tensions over plans to fold the paramilitaries into the regular military erupted into open conflict. War has devastated Sudan, leaving its capital Khartoum in ruins, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing 13 million others. Throughout the war, RSF fighters have looted areas they have controlled and seized large amounts of gum arabic being stored in Khartoum in the war's earliest days. Gum arabic is used as a key emulsifier and stabiliser in various foods, cosmetics and medicine (Daniel Hilton/MEE) In recent months, the military has pushed the RSF out of the capital and is now making gains in Kordofan. The RSF has responded to setbacks by declaring a parallel administration in the western region of Darfur and other areas it still controls, a move condemned by much of the international community and the Sudanese government currently based in Port Sudan. Though the RSF and its fighters have made money by charging levies and other fees on the trade and transport of gum arabic, in September it banned anyone from exporting it east through SAF-held areas. Since then, the smuggling of gum arabic through neighbouring countries has ballooned. Tahir said business associates had seen his product being sold in South Sudan, Chad and even Libya's Tripoli at reduced prices. Countries with a previously low or negligible production of gum arabic, such as Chad, Senegal, Egypt and South Sudan, have reportedly begun 'aggressively' offering cheap gum arabic at reduced prices. 'We have to trust the buyers not to purchase smuggled gum arabic' - Ibrahim Abu Baker Elsiddig Ibrahim, a trader Ibrahim Abu Baker Elsiddig Ibrahim, a trader, said international gum arabic trading organisations recently agreed to ensure that only officially certified Sudanese gum arabic exported through Port Sudan would be purchased. Generally, Sudanese exports are purchased by companies such as Nexira and Alland & Robert, which then sell on to large consumer goods firms. 'We have to trust the buyers not to purchase smuggled gum arabic,' Ibrahim said. A complicating factor may be sanctions that the United States is imposing on Sudan. Last week, Washington accused the Sudanese military of using chemical weapons and said new sanctions would affect US exports to Sudan and access to US government lines of credit. The international importance of Sudan's gum arabic trade meant the product was made exempt from previous sanctions imposed on Sudan in the 1990s. But there are fears within Sudan's gum arabic industry that Sudanese firms may find themselves excluded from international payment systems such as Swift. 'Maybe American sanctions will affect the legitimate gum arabic trade,' Ibrahim said. 'They could make an exception for gum arabic, because so many American companies rely on it, but that would pose moral issues when compared to other industries.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Drone attacks raise stakes in new phase of Sudan's civil war
Paramilitary fighters appear to have opened a new phase in Sudan's civil war after being driven from the capital, in a move which some experts have described as a "shock and awe campaign". Just weeks after the army celebrated the recapture of Khartoum, its foe the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a series of unprecedented drone strikes on Port Sudan in the east of the country. The attacks have led to worsening power blackouts, as well as city residents facing water shortages. "It's a level of power projection within this region that we haven't seen yet," says Alan Boswell, the Horn of Africa expert for the International Crisis Group. "I think it raises the stakes quite a bit," he added. The barrage of attacks on the war-time capital and humanitarian hub signals that the RSF is determined and able to carry on the fight despite significant territorial losses. And it has showcased the growth of advanced drone warfare in Africa. Drones have played an increasing role in the conflict, which has entered its third year. The war began as a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF and has drawn in other Sudanese armed groups and foreign backers, plunging the country into what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) helped the army advance earlier this year. And the RSF escalated its own use of drones as it was pushed out of central Sudan, especially Khartoum, back towards its traditional stronghold in the west of the country. In recent months the paramilitaries had stepped up drone strikes on critical civilian infrastructure in army-controlled areas, such as dams and power stations. But their sustained attacks on Port Sudan, until now seen as a safe haven home to government officials, diplomats and humanitarian organisations, underlined a shift in strategy to a greater emphasis on remote warfare, and aimed to demonstrate strength. "The RSF is trying to show that they don't need to reach Port Sudan by land in order to be able to have an impact there," says Sudanese political analyst Kholood Khair. The group is trying to achieve a "narrative shift" away from "the triumphant SAF that took over Khartoum," she says. "It is saying to the Sudanese Armed Forces: 'You can take Khartoum back, but you'll never be able to govern it. You can have Port Sudan, but you won't be able to govern it, because we will cause a security crisis for you so large that it will be ungovernable'... They want to unequivocally show that the war is not over until they say so." The paramilitary group has not directly addressed the Port Sudan drone attacks. Rather, it has repeated its assertion that the SAF is supported by Iran and accused the armed forces of targeting civilian infrastructure and state institutions, calling the military strikes on Khartoum and RSF-held areas in the west and south of the country war crimes. Both sides stand accused of war crimes which they have denied, but the RSF has been singled out over allegations of mass rape and genocide. The change in its tactics may have been triggered by battlefield necessity, but is possible because of technological advancement. The RSF had previously used what are known as suicide or loitering drones, small UAVs with explosive payloads that are designed to crash into targets and can carry out coordinated attacks. It seems to have deployed this method in Port Sudan, with the commander of the Red Sea Military Zone Mahjoub Bushra describing a swarm of 11 Kamikaze drones in the first strike on a military airbase. He said the army shot them down, but they turned out to be a tactical distraction to divert attention from a single strategic drone that successfully struck the base. The make of this drone is not clear. But satellite images reported by Yale researchers and the Reuters news agency have shown advanced UAVs at an airport in South Darfur since the beginning of the year. The defence intelligence company Janes has determined them to most likely be sophisticated Chinese manufactured CH-95s, capable of long-range strikes. Jeremy Binnie, an Africa and Middle East analyst at Jane's, told the BBC that photos of what appear to be the remnants of the smaller kamikaze drones suggest they are probably a different version than the RSF had used before, and might be better at penetrating air defences because of their shape. One regional observer suggested the RSF had been able to breach the SAF's anti-drone technology with signal jammers attached to the drones, but cautioned this was still unproven. The South Darfur airport in Nyala, the presumptive capital and military base of the Rapid Support Forces, has been repeatedly bombed by the SAF, which destroyed an aircraft there earlier this month. Some experts see the RSF's bombardment of Port Sudan at least partly as retaliation. Inside Khartoum, a city left in ruins Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening The escalating drone warfare has again highlighted the role of foreign actors in Sudan's civil conflict. "This is a war of technology," says Justin Lynch, managing director at Conflict Insights Group, a data analytics and research organisation. "That's why the foreign supporters are so important, because it's not like the RSF is making the weapons themselves. They're being given this stuff." The army has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying the paramilitary fighters with the drones, and cut diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi because of the attacks. The UAE has strongly rejected the charges. It has long denied reports from UN experts, US politicians and international organisations that it is providing weaponry to the RSF. But Mr Lynch says the evidence is overwhelming. He was the lead author of a US State Department-funded report late last year that concluded with "near certainty" the the UAE was facilitating weapons to the RSF by monitoring imagery and flight patterns of airlines previously implicated in violating a UN arms embargo. He told the BBC it would be surprising if the Emiratis were not helping deliver the drones used in the Port Sudan attacks. He also determined with similar near-certainty that the Iranians were supplying weapons to the SAF, and he helped authenticate documents provided to the Washington Post that detail the sale of drones and warheads to the army by a Turkish defence firm. Iran has not responded to the allegations. Turkish officials have denied involvement. The increasing use of drones by both sides may be redefining the war, but it is the ability of the RSF to strike strategic targets hundreds of kilometres from its positions that has rattled the region. Over a week of daily attacks on Port Sudan, the paramilitaries hit the country's only working international airport, a power station, several fuel depots, and the air base, apparently trying to disrupt the army's supply lines. The city is also the main entry port for relief supplies and the UN has warned that this "major escalation" could further complicate aid operations in the country and lead to large-scale civilian casualties. "This was such a shock and awe campaign that it has not only stunned SAF, I think it's also stunned Egypt, Saudi Arabia, others who were behind SAF, and remakes the entire war," says Mr Boswell, adding that it closing the gap in air power between the RSF and the army. "The RSF is widely viewed as a non-state actor," he says "and normally, groups like that can muster quite a bit of an insurgent force. But the government with the air force is the one that always has the aerial capacity, and this just turns all those old adages on its head." The development has triggered comparisons to the long-range drone warfare between Russia and Ukraine. "These weapons have more precision, you don't need a manned aircraft any more, and they are much more affordable than operating sophisticated jets," says Mr Binnie. "This is part of a broader trend in technological proliferation where you can see what used to be really high-end capabilities being used in a civil war in sub-Saharan Africa." The Sudanese foreign ministry has warned that the attacks threaten regional security and the safety of navigation in the Red Sea, calling on international actors to take "effective action against the regional sponsor of the militia," a reference to the UAE. Mr Lynch believes that only an agreement between the UAE and the Sudanese army will end the war. "This war is always evolving, always changing," he says, "but you'll see it will continue for years and decades unless there is serious diplomatic action to stop it." WATCH: 'They ransacked my home, and left my town in ruins' The children living between starvation and death BBC reporter: My heartbreaking decision to leave Sudan Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Drone attacks raise stakes in new phase of Sudan's civil war
Paramilitary fighters appear to have opened a new phase in Sudan's civil war after being driven from the capital, in a move which some experts have described as a "shock and awe campaign". Just weeks after the army celebrated the recapture of Khartoum, its foe the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a series of unprecedented drone strikes on Port Sudan in the east of the country. The attacks have led to worsening power blackouts, as well as city residents facing water shortages. "It's a level of power projection within this region that we haven't seen yet," says Alan Boswell, the Horn of Africa expert for the International Crisis Group. "I think it raises the stakes quite a bit," he added. The barrage of attacks on the war-time capital and humanitarian hub signals that the RSF is determined and able to carry on the fight despite significant territorial losses. And it has showcased the growth of advanced drone warfare in Africa. Drones have played an increasing role in the conflict, which has entered its third year. The war began as a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF and has drawn in other Sudanese armed groups and foreign backers, plunging the country into what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) helped the army advance earlier this year. And the RSF escalated its own use of drones as it was pushed out of central Sudan, especially Khartoum, back towards its traditional stronghold in the west of the country. In recent months the paramilitaries had stepped up drone strikes on critical civilian infrastructure in army-controlled areas, such as dams and power stations. But their sustained attacks on Port Sudan, until now seen as a safe haven home to government officials, diplomats and humanitarian organisations, underlined a shift in strategy to a greater emphasis on remote warfare, and aimed to demonstrate strength. "The RSF is trying to show that they don't need to reach Port Sudan by land in order to be able to have an impact there," says Sudanese political analyst Kholood Khair. The group is trying to achieve a "narrative shift" away from "the triumphant SAF that took over Khartoum," she says. "It is saying to the Sudanese Armed Forces: 'You can take Khartoum back, but you'll never be able to govern it. You can have Port Sudan, but you won't be able to govern it, because we will cause a security crisis for you so large that it will be ungovernable'... They want to unequivocally show that the war is not over until they say so." The paramilitary group has not directly addressed the Port Sudan drone attacks. Rather, it has repeated its assertion that the SAF is supported by Iran and accused the armed forces of targeting civilian infrastructure and state institutions, calling the military strikes on Khartoum and RSF-held areas in the west and south of the country war crimes. Both sides stand accused of war crimes which they have denied, but the RSF has been singled out over allegations of mass rape and genocide. The change in its tactics may have been triggered by battlefield necessity, but is possible because of technological advancement. The RSF had previously used what are known as suicide or loitering drones, small UAVs with explosive payloads that are designed to crash into targets and can carry out coordinated attacks. It seems to have deployed this method in Port Sudan, with the commander of the Red Sea Military Zone Mahjoub Bushra describing a swarm of 11 Kamikaze drones in the first strike on a military airbase. He said the army shot them down, but they turned out to be a tactical distraction to divert attention from a single strategic drone that successfully struck the base. The make of this drone is not clear. But satellite images reported by Yale researchers and the Reuters news agency have shown advanced UAVs at an airport in South Darfur since the beginning of the year. The defence intelligence company Janes has determined them to most likely be sophisticated Chinese manufactured CH-95s, capable of long-range strikes. Jeremy Binnie, an Africa and Middle East analyst at Jane's, told the BBC that photos of what appear to be the remnants of the smaller kamikaze drones suggest they are probably a different version than the RSF had used before, and might be better at penetrating air defences because of their shape. One regional observer suggested the RSF had been able to breach the SAF's anti-drone technology with signal jammers attached to the drones, but cautioned this was still unproven. The South Darfur airport in Nyala, the presumptive capital and military base of the Rapid Support Forces, has been repeatedly bombed by the SAF, which destroyed an aircraft there earlier this month. Some experts see the RSF's bombardment of Port Sudan at least partly as retaliation. Inside Khartoum, a city left in ruins Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening The escalating drone warfare has again highlighted the role of foreign actors in Sudan's civil conflict. "This is a war of technology," says Justin Lynch, managing director at Conflict Insights Group, a data analytics and research organisation. "That's why the foreign supporters are so important, because it's not like the RSF is making the weapons themselves. They're being given this stuff." The army has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying the paramilitary fighters with the drones, and cut diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi because of the attacks. The UAE has strongly rejected the charges. It has long denied reports from UN experts, US politicians and international organisations that it is providing weaponry to the RSF. But Mr Lynch says the evidence is overwhelming. He was the lead author of a US State Department-funded report late last year that concluded with "near certainty" the the UAE was facilitating weapons to the RSF by monitoring imagery and flight patterns of airlines previously implicated in violating a UN arms embargo. He told the BBC it would be surprising if the Emiratis were not helping deliver the drones used in the Port Sudan attacks. He also determined with similar near-certainty that the Iranians were supplying weapons to the SAF, and he helped authenticate documents provided to the Washington Post that detail the sale of drones and warheads to the army by a Turkish defence firm. Iran has not responded to the allegations. Turkish officials have denied involvement. The increasing use of drones by both sides may be redefining the war, but it is the ability of the RSF to strike strategic targets hundreds of kilometres from its positions that has rattled the region. Over a week of daily attacks on Port Sudan, the paramilitaries hit the country's only working international airport, a power station, several fuel depots, and the air base, apparently trying to disrupt the army's supply lines. The city is also the main entry port for relief supplies and the UN has warned that this "major escalation" could further complicate aid operations in the country and lead to large-scale civilian casualties. "This was such a shock and awe campaign that it has not only stunned SAF, I think it's also stunned Egypt, Saudi Arabia, others who were behind SAF, and remakes the entire war," says Mr Boswell, adding that it closing the gap in air power between the RSF and the army. "The RSF is widely viewed as a non-state actor," he says "and normally, groups like that can muster quite a bit of an insurgent force. But the government with the air force is the one that always has the aerial capacity, and this just turns all those old adages on its head." The development has triggered comparisons to the long-range drone warfare between Russia and Ukraine. "These weapons have more precision, you don't need a manned aircraft any more, and they are much more affordable than operating sophisticated jets," says Mr Binnie. "This is part of a broader trend in technological proliferation where you can see what used to be really high-end capabilities being used in a civil war in sub-Saharan Africa." The Sudanese foreign ministry has warned that the attacks threaten regional security and the safety of navigation in the Red Sea, calling on international actors to take "effective action against the regional sponsor of the militia," a reference to the UAE. Mr Lynch believes that only an agreement between the UAE and the Sudanese army will end the war. "This war is always evolving, always changing," he says, "but you'll see it will continue for years and decades unless there is serious diplomatic action to stop it." WATCH: 'They ransacked my home, and left my town in ruins' The children living between starvation and death BBC reporter: My heartbreaking decision to leave Sudan Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Sky News
05-05-2025
- Sky News
Drone attacks are intensifying in Sudan - hitting schools and camps housing the displaced
The smell of explosives is still in the air when we arrive. Hours before, a displacement camp in Atbara housing families who fled the war in Sudan's capital Khartoum was hit by two drone strikes in a four-pronged attack. The first bomb on 25 April burned donated tents and killed the children in them. The second hit a school serving as a shelter for the spillover of homeless families. Chunks of cement and plaster had been blasted off the walls of the classrooms where they slept when the second explosive was dropped. Blood marked the entrance of the temporary home closest to the crater. Inside, shattered glass and broken window frames speak to the force of the explosion. We were told by their neighbours that four people in the family were instantly killed. "People were torn apart. This is inhumane," says their neighbour Mahialdeen, whose brother and sister were injured. "We are praying that God lifts this catastrophe. We left Khartoum because of the fighting and found it here." Wiping a tear, he says: "It is chasing us." The sanctuary city held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) about 200 miles northeast of Khartoum has been hit by six drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since the start of the year. These latest strikes are the most deadly. The drones - known for targeting civilian infrastructure - hit the displacement camp twice, the nearby power station supplying the city with electricity and an empty field with four bombs in the dark, early hours of the morning. First responders have told Sky News that 12 people were killed, including at least two children. RSF increasingly using drones to carry out attacks Data from the conflict-monitoring organisation ACLED shows the RSF has carried out increasing numbers of drone attacks across the country. The most targeted states have been Khartoum and North Darfur, where fighting on the ground has been fierce, as well as Atbara's River Nile State. The data suggests that the increase in strikes has been driven by a change in tactics following the SAF's recapture of Khartoum in late March, with the number of strikes carried out by the RSF spiking shortly after their withdrawal from the capital. Satellite imagery shows the RSF's airpower has allowed it to continue to attack targets in and around Khartoum. Nearby Wadi Seidna Airbase was targeted after the attack on Atbara, with damage visible across a large area south of its airfield. We were given access to the remains of latest suicide drones launched at Khartoum and could not find discernible signs of commercial origin. Drone experts told Sky News that they are self-built devices made from generic parts with no identifiable manufacturers for the components. 1:38 Drones sighted in South Darfur are consistent with Chinese models High-resolution satellite images confirm the presence of drones at the RSF-held Nyala Airport. While the total number of drones kept at this location is unknown, imagery from Planet Labs shows six on 24 April. This is the highest number of drones observed at the airport, suggesting an increase in the RSF's available airpower. The location and number of drones visible in satellite imagery at Nyala Airport has varied over time, suggesting they are in active use. 2:51 While it is not possible to determine the exact model of drones sighted at Nyala Airport, a report published by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Lab has previously found them to be consistent with the Chinese-produced FH-95. Analysis carried out by Sky News confirms these findings, with the measurements and visible features matching those of the CH-95 and FH-95. Both designs are produced in China. The United Arab Emirates is widely accused of supplying Chinese drones to the RSF through South Sudan and Uganda, as well as weapons through Chad. The UAE vehemently denies these claims. 0:45 Evidence of new airfields Satellite imagery viewed by Sky News suggests the RSF has worked to increase its air capabilities outside of South Darfur. In late 2024, five new airstrips appeared in West Kordofan between the contested cities of North Darfur capital Al Fashir and Khartoum. While the purpose of these airstrips is unknown, it is clear they carry some level of military significance, having been targeted by air in April. In high-resolution images, no aircraft can be seen. Damage is visible next to a structure that appears to be an aircraft hangar. The rapid escalation in drone strikes is being brutally suffered on the ground. In Atbara's Police Hospital, we find a ward full of the injured survivors. One of them, a three-year-old girl called Manasiq, is staring up at the ceiling in wide-eyed shock with her head wrapped in a bandage and her feet covered in dried blood. Her aunt tells us the explosion flung her small body across the classroom shelter but she miraculously survived. She has shrapnel in her head and clings onto her aunt as her mother is treated for her own injuries in a ward on the first floor. In a dark room deeper in the ward, a mother sits on the edge of a hospital bed holding her young injured daughter. Her son, only slightly older, is on a smaller adjustable bed further away. Fadwa looks forlorn and helpless. Her children were spending the night with relatives in the temporary tents when the first strike hit and killed her eight-year-old son. His surviving sister and brother have been asking after him, but Fadwa can't bring herself to break the news. "What can I say? This is our fate. We fled the war in Khartoum but can't escape the violence," Fadwa says, staring off in the distance. "We are condemned to this fate."
France 24
04-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Sudan paramilitaries launch first attack on de facto capital: army
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) "targeted Osman Digna Air Base, a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities in the city of Port Sudan with suicide drones", army spokesman Nabil Abdullah said in a statement. He reported no casualties but "limited damage". Smoke was seen billowing from Port Sudan's airport. The paramilitaries have expanded the scope and frequency of their drone attacks on army-held areas since losing control of areas including most of the capital Khartoum in March. On Saturday, a source from the army-aligned government reported a rare drone attack on Kassala, on Sudan's eastern border with Eritrea, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the nearest RSF-held territory. In the early days of the war, the government relocated from Khartoum to Port Sudan, which until Sunday's attack had been spared the violence. UN agencies have also moved their offices and staff to Port Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge from the war. Since April 2023, the regular army, headed by Sudan's de facto leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been battling the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, in a brutal war that has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million. The conflict has left Africa's third largest country effectively divided. The regular army controls the centre, east and north, while the RSF holds sway in nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur and parts of the south. In late February, the RSF and its allies signed a charter in Kenya announcing a plan to establish a rival government to the army-aligned administration.
