JEM: ‘RSF disarmament essential for any Sudan settlement’

The Justice and Equality Movement faction headed by rebel leader and Minister of Finance Jibril Ibrahim (JEM-Ibrahim), warned yesterday that any political settlement excluding the disarmament of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their removal from the political and military landscape will perpetuate Sudan’s crisis.

In a statement marking Sudan’s Independence Day, JEM spokesperson Dr Mohamed Zakaria urged the international community to sanction RSF leaders and their foreign arms suppliers, calling for the RSF’s designation as a terrorist organisation.

Zakaria condemned efforts to arm the RSF under the guise of humanitarian relief, cautioning that some international actors might exploit such assistance to intensify the conflict.

He attributed food scarcity to RSF-controlled areas, accusing the paramilitary group of attacking commercial convoys and imposing blockades on civilians. JEM also demanded that humanitarian aid be insulated from political interference.

The movement applauded Egyptian and international initiatives aimed at resolving the Sudanese crisis and stressed the importance of coordinated efforts to alleviate the suffering of Sudan’s people. JEM reaffirmed its commitment to integrating its forces into a unified Sudanese army following the RSF’s defeat, promoting national unity as essential for Sudan’s future.

Reflecting on Sudan’s independence, JEM praised the resilience and dignity of the Sudanese people, urging them to confront the root causes of the nation’s crisis and to renew their collective commitment to justice, equality, and sustainable development. It described the battle against the RSF as a continuation of Sudan’s historical struggles for freedom.

‘Heavy RSF casualties’

The Sudanese Joint Forces* reported yesterday that they had buried over 462 RSF fighters killed in recent clashes near Melit and El Malha in North Darfur.

In their statement, the joint forces said RSF fighters suffered heavy losses during attempted infiltrations.

The battles resulted in the elimination of hundreds of RSF soldiers and the destruction of three vehicles, with six prominent RSF field commanders among the dead, according to the statement.

The joint forces stated that they buried the RSF casualties to uphold human dignity and protect the local population from environmental hazards caused by the decomposing bodies.

They emphasised their adherence to international humanitarian law and called on RSF soldiers to accept the amnesty offered by Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, by surrendering to the nearest military or joint force unit.

Radio Dabanga reached out to the RSF for a response but received no comment at the time of publication.

The Darfur Joint Force was formed in June 2022, as agreed on in the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement (JPA), to protect the people in the region. The force was made up of fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement faction headed by Darfur Governor Minni Minawi (SLM-MM), the JEM faction led by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim (JEM-GI), and several small rebel groups that signed the JPA. These movements renounced their neutrality in November last year and are now fighting the RSF alongside the Sudanese army. Since then, Sudanese media speak about the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements, while the group’s logo on their X and Facebook accounts says Sudanese Joint Force (and in Arabic Sudanese Joint Forces).