Sudanese peace parties declare onslaught on RSF

Armed Sudanese groups, who co-signed the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement mediated by South Sudan, abandoned a neutral stand in the ongoing conflict and declared military operations “on all fronts” against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement seen by The City Review on Friday, the groups, which comprise SLM/A-MM, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and other parties, condemned the atrocities committed by the RSF, terming them a violation of the Juba Agreement.

“In the face of these practises, crimes against humanity, and blatant violations of human rights, including the right to life, all of these practises are considered hostile to the homeland and the citizen, and therefore we declare our departure from neutrality, and we strongly condemn these violations by these militias and declare our strong resistance to these practises,” they noted in a joint statement.  

“In light of the threat to the unity of Sudan and the repeated militia attacks on cities and villages, assaulting, killing and dragging defenceless citizens, and in light of the threat now posed to humanitarian and commercial convoys by trying to cut off supply routes to cities and regions, all these developments make us abandon any neutrality and declare our participation in the operations. Military on all fronts without the slightest hesitation,” it added.

They stated, “We declare our absolute adherence to the unity of Sudan, land and people, and we will not abandon it, our lives, or our souls, and we will never allow the agenda of dismantling Sudan that is currently underway to be passed.”

 The groups emphasised their commitment to uniting the Sudanese people and appealed to the people of the Darfur region, in particular, to stand together against matters that would devastate Sudan.

“We affirm our absolute commitment to Sudan’s unity, both land and people. We will never relinquish it; it is our essence and soul, and we will never allow the passing of any agenda seeking Sudan’s current dismantling,” they said.

“We appeal to our people in Sudan, in general, and Darfur, in particular, to unify the internal front to confront the division threat, firmly opposing all internal and foreign conspiracies to dismantle Sudan. We will never allow Darfur to be a gateway to Sudan’s disintegration,” they emphasised.

The parties appealed to regional peace mediators and the international community to full efforts together to put an end to the conflict in Sudan.

“We call on the regional and international community, and all circles of Sudan’s affiliation, to take a clear stance to stop the war and preserve Sudan’s unity and national sovereignty, and we call on the African Union in particular to stop the violations and crimes of genocide that are being committed now in its second session in Darfur,” they stated.

The Sudanese army and the Paramilitary Support Forces (RSF) have been at war since April 15, 2023, with multiple attempts of a ceasefire but have not yet yield tangible results.