By Antoinette Radford, UNITED
NATIONS New York
Sudan's de facto leader has warned the United Nations that his country's war could spill over into neighbouring African nations.
In a speech, General Abdel
Fattah al-Burhan also urged the international community to designate his
opponents, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a terrorist group.
Meanwhile, RSF leader Hamdan
Dagalo said he was prepared for a ceasefire.
Since April, Sudan has been
embroiled in a civil war that has killed thousands of people.
Back in 2021, the two generals
staged a coup, but in recent months a power struggle between them has led to
their men taking up arms against each other.
Speaking to the UN on
Thursday, Gen Burhan said his party was open to peace talks, and wanted to
"put an end to this war and to alleviate the suffering of our
people", but said the RSF refused.
However, in a rare video
message to the UN, his opponent, Gen Dagalo - also known as Hemedti - said he
was ready to engage in talks.
Sudan's civil war
erupted in April when members of the RSF were deployed around the
country in a move the army, led by Gen Burhan, saw as a threat.
It is disputed who fired the
first shot but the fighting swiftly escalated in different parts of the
country. The fighting has killed at least 7,500 people according to NGO Acled
and displaced millions.
Gen Burhan, who had been the
de facto leader of Sudan following a coup in 2021, has been travelling around
the world seeking to gain international support.
Addressing the UN he also
alluded to the RSF's ties to Wagner, a Russian mercenary group who are
operating across Africa in the
Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique and Mali.
"The danger of this war
is now a threat to regional and international peace and security as those
rebels have sought the support of outlaws and terrorist groups from different
countries in the region and the world," he said.
Gen Burhan also argued the RSF
should be considered a terrorist group as they had "supported killing,
burning, raping, forced displacement, looting, stealing, torture, trafficking
of arms and drugs, bringing mercenaries or recruiting children".
He said those crimes required
accountability and punishment.
However, Gen Burhan has also
faced criticisms for military actions throughout the conflict.
Upon his resignation in
mid-September, the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes was fiercely critical of
both generals who he said had chosen to plunge the country into a war.
Mr Perthes blamed the RSF for
the sexual violence, looting and killings in areas it controls. He also
condemned the Sudanese armed forces for indiscriminate aerial bombings.
The RSF fighters are embedded
in densely populated urban areas and the Sudanese military appears to view
these areas as legitimate targets.
Already, the US has imposed
sanctions on RSF leaders including Gen Dagalo, but the West has also been
strongly critical of Gen Burhan due to his role in displacing Sudan's leading
party in a 2021 coup.
No comments:
Post a Comment