Sudan stations militia troops at northern desert

Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has stationed troops of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the northern desert to combat cross-border crimes, and prevent infiltration by Islamic State (IS) fighters.

The tasks of the RSF paramilitaries at the borders with Egypt, Libya, and Chad are to prevent infiltration of IS fighters to Sudan from West Africa, block the movement of Sudanese rebel forces to Libya, and combat all manner of cross- border crimes, according to NISS Director Mohamed Atta El Moula Abbas.

In an address to 1,057 RSF graduates in Khartoum on Tuesday, Abbas stated that the Sudanese government is seeking to realise peace and security in Sudan and Libya.

The RSF militia were established by the NISS in 2013 “to definitely eliminate the insurgency in the country”.

Ceasefire

Abbas further repeated NISS commitment to the ceasefire that was recently extended by President Al Bashi, and accused the rebel movements of deliberately misunderstanding the message – which led to the current Jebel Marra military offensive, and several battles in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile state.

He stressed that NISS “will not tolerate messing with the gains of the people”, and denied that the regular [army and various militia] forces are committed to the ceasefire “out of weakness”.

The regular forces, including the Sudanese Air Force, have been involved in a major offensive against the rebel SLM-AW stronghold in Jebel Marra since Friday. At least 34 villages have reportedly been attacked and thousands of people fled to the top of the mountain.

Referendum

The security chief also warned foreign relief organisations working in Darfur of interfering in the region’s referendum scheduled to be conducted in April.

“These organisations have a humanitarian role only,” he said. “They have no right to talk about the referendum process and interfere in the people’s options to participate or not, as the referendum is an internal Sudanese process.”