At least 20 Sudanese militiamen killed in Yemen

At least 20 fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been killed and more than 100 were wounded in the fierce fighting that has been going on for days in Yemen.

Sudanese press were informed that 17 bodies of RSF fighters participating in the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen have arrived in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, on Sunday. The militiamen were killed in a missile attack on the borders of Hodeidah, 226 km from the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

One of the RSF commanders conveyed the news to the families of the dead in Khartoum on Saturday. He said that more than 120 injured soldiers have been transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for treatment.

In October, four Sudanese soldiers were killed by a missile attack in Yemen. Qods News Agency in Yemen cited military sources that reported that the attack took place in Nihm district in the west coast.

In May, Sudan's then Minister of Defence, General Ahmed Ibn Auf, told the Sudanese Parliament that the government was reconsidering its membership in the Saudi-led alliance in the war in Yemen, but there have been no signs of retreat or reducing the number of troops.

Sudan has sent at least 3,000 ground troops since the start of its cooperation in the mostly Gulf Arab alliance fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement in 2015. The alliance includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Senegal and finds support from Western countries.

Following the reports about the death of dozens of Sudanese troops and Houthi’s threats to launch missile attacks against Sudan, several legislators have called to withdraw the forces from Yemen.

Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition in the war in Yemen have caused heavy civilian casualties and some may amount to war crimes, UN human rights experts said in August.

RSF

According to Human Rights Watch investigations, the RSF are accountable for widespread systematic crimes against civilians, constituting “egregious crimes” against humanity and war crimes. Most atrocities were part of a widely announced government offensive against armed rebels in Darfur: jointly with the Sudan Air Force, RSF troops repeatedly attacked villages in 2015 and following years. RSF troops have been known to assault and rob people in the area of Jebel Marra.

Related:

Dozens of Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen battle (April 10, 2018)

Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen (June 23, 2017)