The Sudanese army announced what it called a “courageous step,” as a senior commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) joined its ranks. The Sudanese army, in a statement, said that “the RSF commander in Al-Jazira State, Abu Aqla Kikel, has left the rebels and decided to fight alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces, accompanied by a large group of his forces. This decision came after they realized the false and deceptive claims of the RSF and their allies, who are merely tools for passing international and regional criminal agendas aimed at destroying the country, its people, and its resources,” according to the statement. The Sudanese army welcomed this move and reaffirmed that its doors remain open to anyone who sides with the nation and its armed forces. They also reiterated the pardon granted by the Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for any rebel who joins the nation’s side and reports to the nearest military leadership anywhere in Sudan.
Since December 2023, the RSF, under Kikel’s command, had controlled several cities in Al-Jazira, a region bordering Khartoum to the south, including Wad Madani, the state’s capital. At the time, Kikel stated that his forces aimed to create strategic balance in the country, after the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement between Khartoum and the Darfur armed movements, which he claimed was made at the expense of northern, eastern, and central Sudan. There have been increasing international and United Nations calls to end the war and avert a humanitarian disaster that has already driven millions to famine and death due to food shortages, as the conflict has spread to 13 out of Sudan’s 18 states. Since mid-April 2023, the army and the RSF have been engaged in a war that has left more than 20,000 dead and over 10 million displaced or refugees, according to the UN.
The army has launched a major offensive to reclaim areas in Sennar and Al-Jazira States, following its shift from defense to offense since September 26. The army claims to have successfully deployed military positions in villages east of Dinder. Meanwhile, signs of a brewing crisis between Sudan and Chad are emerging, after Sudanese Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim called for the closure of the Adir border crossing between the two countries. Ibrahim accused the crossing of being the main route for supplying the RSF with lethal weapons and stressed that the crossing should be closed “sooner rather than later.”
Additionally, the Sudanese government announced the opening of six airports and seven land crossings for international organizations to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into the country. The government, in a statement, said it had approved the opening of airports in Kassala, Dongola, El-Obeid, and Kadugli, with the latter being agreed upon between the Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit. The Sudanese government affirmed its commitment to “providing all necessary facilities for the entry of humanitarian aid to those in need across Sudan.” Around 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Germany, have urged Sudan to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the millions in urgent need of assistance. The statement highlighted the severe suffering of the Sudanese people due to the war, noting that they are experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with 25 million people—half the population—in dire need of aid. The conflict has forced around 11 million people to flee their homes to escape horrific violence and extreme hunger since the conflict began 18 months ago. Women and girls are particularly at risk, facing widespread sexual violence and other severe human rights abuses.
In a related development, Sudanese sources revealed that around 40,000 people fled to Chad following brutal attacks by RSF militias on 13 villages in the northwestern part of North Darfur State. The Sudan Tribune reported that two weeks ago, violent clashes erupted in areas in the northwest of North Darfur. Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that 3.1 million people in Sudan are at risk of contracting cholera. UNICEF’s Sudan office, in a press release, stated that 3.1 million people in Sudan, including half a million children under the age of five, are at risk of cholera.
