Khaberni - U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio accused the Rapid Support Forces of being involved in committing atrocities against civilians and held them responsible for the bloody escalation of the conflict in Sudan, and did not rule out adding the Rapid Support forces to the "terrorism lists" to help resolve the crisis.
Rubio told reporters after a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada on Wednesday, "What is happening there is horrifying," and blamed the Rapid Support Forces who have been fighting with the army since April 2023 and recently took control of the main city of Al-Fashir in the west of the country.
He added, "The Rapid Support Forces agreed to a humanitarian truce they do not intend to comply with and regarding the violations, they are systematic and not from rogue elements.. I believe something must be done to cut off the supply of weapons and support they receive as they continue to make progress".
He continued, "Humanitarian organizations tell us that the level of malnutrition and suffering suffered by those fleeing is unprecedented.. and what is more disturbing and worrying is that they have not received the expected numbers of refugees which means they were either killed or are too weak and hungry to move, and this is horrifying".
Rubio said the Rapid Support Forces rely on foreign money and support because they lack their own weapons manufacturing facilities, noting they come "from some countries and we know who they are and will talk to them about it and make them understand that this will reflect badly on them and the world if we cannot stop what is happening".
He added, "We know the parties involved. That is why they are part of the Quartet alongside other countries. I can confirm that at the highest levels of our government, this file is being discussed and pressure is being applied on the concerned parties. I do not want to point fingers or name any entity during a press conference, because what we want is to achieve a good outcome. This must stop. It is clear they are receiving support from abroad".
Rubio confirmed that Washington shares "many of the concerns expressed by others about the potential for the situation in Sudan to become a hotspot for jihadist and terrorist activity".
In response to a question about his position on supporting a move in the Senate to classify the Rapid Support Forces either as a foreign terrorist organization or as an entity subject to sanctions, Rubio said "If that would help end this crisis, we would support it. I have not seen that proposal yet, I know some senators discussed it with me several months ago, but ultimately, what we want is to end this situation. It must stop immediately".
Pasha Tabeekh, an advisor to the Rapid Support Forces commander, criticized the U.S. Secretary of State's statements, calling them "unfortunate and obstructive to the efforts of the humanitarian truce in Sudan", and added in a post on X platform "The statements are read by the other party as a political and diplomatic victory, which strengthens Port Sudan authorities' rejection of any truce and pushes towards continued military escalation".
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the necessity to stop the fighting in Sudan and halt the flow of weapons and fighters from external parties.
Guterres said, "I am deeply concerned about the recent reports of mass atrocities and serious human rights violations in Al-Fashir, and the escalating violence in Kordofan. The flow of weapons and fighters from external parties must be stopped, and the flow of humanitarian aid must be quickly enabled to reach needy civilians, and hostilities must stop".
He added, "I call on the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to cooperate with my personal envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, and to take quick and concrete steps towards a negotiated settlement".
Humanitarian Crisis
In another aspect, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Bob, warned that the level of humanitarian need in Sudan is extremely large, pointing out that the current displacement crisis has reached "an enormous scale", with increasing reports of horrific violence against civilians.
In a press briefing from the Sudanese capital Khartoum, to journalists in New York on Wednesday, Bob revealed large numbers of displaced persons, emphasizing that her visit aimed to draw attention to the crisis coinciding with an unprecedented decline in global humanitarian aid.
Bob arrived in Sudan last Monday on a 5-day visit during which she met with several officials and also visited displacement camps in the city of Al-Dibba in the Northern State, and the capital, Khartoum.
Bob spoke about the displacement of 90,000 from the city of Al-Fashir in the past two weeks, and the flight of about 50,000 people following the events that occurred in the South Kordofan region.
She acknowledged "significant challenges", highlighting that current capabilities do not meet the need, and called for immediate and urgent action to open aid corridors.
Meanwhile, the Chair of the African Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssef said the situation in Sudan "has reached a severe level of collapse and the suffering of the people is not receiving sufficient international attention", stressing that the crisis in Sudan "is one of the most violent and complex conflicts on the continent and the scale of the tragedy exceeds what is shown in the media".
Humanitarian Truce
In his turn, the U.S. President's Advisor for African Affairs, Mus'ad Bolus, called for "immediate agreement to the proposed humanitarian truce and its implementation", saying in a statement, "The suffering of civilians has reached catastrophic levels, as millions lack food, water, and medical care, and every day of continued fighting claims more innocent lives".
The humanitarian suffering in Sudan has been exacerbated by the ongoing war since April 2023, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of about 13 million people.
Bolus mentioned, "A strong draft of truce has been put forward with the hope that both parties will commit to it quickly, without any political or military maneuvering that costs more lives." He emphasized that all parties must respect their commitments, cease hostilities, and allow full, safe, and unhindered access to humanitarian aid.
Bolus did not clarify details of the truce he discussed or the implementation mechanism, but the Rapid Support Forces announced last Thursday evening their agreement to "join the humanitarian truce" proposed by the "Quartet" consisting of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE.
On October 25, Bolus announced that the Quartet had discussed in Washington achieving an urgent humanitarian truce and a permanent ceasefire in Sudan and formed a joint committee to coordinate on urgent priorities, affirming the commitment of the Quartet to the ministerial statement issued on September 12.
The ministerial statement referred to by Bolus, called by the Quartet, aimed for an initial humanitarian truce lasting 3 months in Sudan, to enable urgent humanitarian aid to enter all areas in preparation for a permanent ceasefire.
This is followed by the launch of a comprehensive and transparent transition process to be completed within 9 months, in line with the aspirations of the Sudanese people for an independent civilian government with a broad base of legitimacy and accountability.
The day before yesterday, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohiuddin Salem stressed that his government "will continue its serious efforts to expel the (Rapid Support) militia and mercenaries from the country," noting that "the Quartet was not issued by the Security Council or any international organization, and therefore the Sudanese government does not deal with it officially."
