Sudanese Ambassador Urges International Community to Declare RSF a Terrorist Group

The Sudanese Ambassador to Uganda, Ahmed Ibrahim, has called on the international community to designate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), also known as the Janjaweed militia, as a terrorist organization. This appeal comes following a deadly confrontation between Sudan’s army and the RSF in Al-Hilaliya, Al-Jazira States, which left up to 120 civilians dead.

In a statement, Ambassador Ibrahim condemned what he described as “yet another massacre” carried out by the militia. According to a statement from the Sudanese government, the deaths resulted from gunfire, food poisoning, and lack of medical care in what it claims are illegal detention centers where civilians, including women and children, are being held.

This attack is part of a broader pattern of escalating violence attributed to the RSF, a paramilitary group with its origins in Sudan’s Darfur conflict. The Sudanese government and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly accused the RSF of targeting civilians amid the ongoing civil conflict in Sudan. In recent months, violence has intensified in Al-Jazira State, where the RSF reportedly attacked Al-Hilaliya, the village of Al-Sariha, and more than 50 neighboring villages, resulting in hundreds of deaths in what the government has called "horrific revenge attacks" following internal defections within the RSF leadership.

The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as "Hemedti," was initially formed by former president Omar Al Bashir to assist government forces in combating insurgencies in Darfur. However, in recent years, the group has shifted its focus toward consolidating power in Sudan’s broader national conflict, particularly after the 2021 military coup. As Sudan’s fragile political situation disintegrates, the power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF has intensified, plunging the country into widespread violence, displacement, and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

A statement from the Sudanese embassy in Kampala argues that the RSF’s actions mirror "the modus operandi of terrorist groups," adding that the group is seeking international military intervention to protect civilians. The statement stresses that the RSF uses violence to maintain control over occupied areas, including large parts of Khartoum, where the group allegedly detains thousands of civilians. It claims that the RSF’s goal is to incite international intervention, which it would use as a means of legitimizing its territorial control and influence.

The embassy’s press statement also referenced the RSF’s defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2736, which was passed six months ago and called for a de-escalation of hostilities and the protection of civilians. Despite international condemnation and sanctions, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that the RSF has only escalated its shelling of residential areas and displaced persons' camps, particularly in Al-Fasher and North Darfur. "The RSF’s response underscores its disregard for international resolutions that are not backed by what it terms 'decisive measures,'" the statement reads.

Given this, the Sudanese Ambassador is calling for the international community to formally designate the RSF as a terrorist organization and to treat any individuals, entities, or nations providing support to the RSF leaders as accomplices to terrorism. He emphasized that diplomatic efforts and UN measures have been ineffective and warned that without broader action, civilian suffering would only intensify.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights groups globally, but efforts for peace remain stalled. The crisis has led to what is believed to be the world’s largest internal displacement, with thousands fleeing violence in Khartoum and Darfur, further straining local resources.

The Ambassador stressed the urgency for international organizations to take more than just verbal action, suggesting that direct sanctions and legal pursuits of RSF leaders through international courts are necessary. As clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese military continue, Sudanese citizens remain caught in the middle, with an uncertain future as the world watches for further developments.