Sudanese army warns civilians to stay away from areas held by RSF fighters

Sudan’s army called on civilians to move away from areas held by the Rapid Support Forces, warning that paramilitary sites are legitimate targets for strikes.

The army, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, is fighting for control of the country against the paramilitary RSF.

On Tuesday, the army accused fighters with the paramilitary group of using civilians as human shields.

Since the war broke out in April last year, the RSF, led by Gen Mohamed Dagalo, has been accused of seizing private homes in districts of Khartoum under the group’s control to use as bases.

“The armed forces would like to draw the attention of citizens to the need for them to stay clear of areas across the country where Dagalo’s terrorist militia maintains a presence,” the army said.

“They are legitimate targets for the strikes of our air force.”

The warning came as the US said it hoped peace talks would resume next month.

Washington wants negotiations to be held in Saudi Arabia on April 18, the US special envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said. The date followed the end of Ramadan and a donor conference in Paris scheduled for April 15, he said.

“I’d like the talks to start tomorrow, but I think that realistically we’re looking at after Ramadan,” he said.

“But I think in the meantime, we want to use that period between now and the start of talks to be exploring every angle we can so that it’s teed up for success.

“That would be a good timeline. But it’s not firm.”

A series of ceasefires mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia in the early days of the war proved short-lived or collapsed as soon as they were in effect.

The army rejected a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council this month that called for a ceasefire during Ramadan, emphasising its intention to achieve an all-out victory.

Sudan’s army said there would be no peace negotiations with the RSF before the paramilitary group agrees to give up control of the areas it captured during the conflict.

The UN has accused both sides have been of committing “horrific violations and abuses” in the war.

In a report published last month, the UN said the army and RSF “used explosive weapons with wide area effects, such as missiles fired from fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-aircraft weapons and artillery shells in densely populated areas”.

“For nearly a year now, accounts coming out of Sudan have been of death, suffering and despair, as the senseless conflict and human rights violations and abuses have persisted with no end in sight,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said after the report was released.

The army has faced accusations of killing hundreds of civilians in areas including Khartoum through air strikes and heavy artillery shelling.

At least nine civilians were killed and 14 injured on Monday in air strikes on RSF positions in the city of Al Fashir, in northern Darfur.

Residents said the strikes destroyed five homes and forced hundreds to flee the city’s Al Wefaq district.

They have taken refuge elsewhere in Al Fashir.

Washington wants peace talks to be held in Saudi Arabia on April 18, after Ramadan and a donor conference in Paris