A senior general from the Sudan Armed Forces has emphatically restated the military ruling body’s stance against the deployment of East African troops in an attempt to bring peace to the warring nation.
Lt Gen Yasir Alatta has according to the Sudan Tribune made a strong verbal attack on Kenyan President William Ruto, accusing him of taking sides in the conflict on behalf of an un-named country.
The general reiterated their opposition to the presence of an East African force assigned to protect civilians and aid workers in the region.
Directly challenging President Ruto, who leads the IGAD quartet group responsible for crisis resolution, the Sudanese general provocatively invited him to bring his own army along with the troops from the country that financially supports him (without explicitly naming the supporting country).
“The state that supports you and the mercenaries like you with money (…), must also bring its army,” General Alatta stated.
The army last week boycotted IGAD’s mediation plan and accused Kenya, which spearheaded it, of providing a haven to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese military’s challenger.
“The disrespect of IGAD towards the opinions of its member states will cause the Sudanese government to rethink the utility of its membership in the organisation,” the foreign ministry said.
“The Sudanese government rejects the deployment of foreign forces in Sudan and will consider them enemy forces.”
The power struggle between the army and paramilitary RSF has today entered its 100th day. It has since April 15 killed more than 1,000 civilians and displaced 2.9 million, according to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, Saudi and US mediators are continuing their efforts to bring the warring parties to commit to ending the war.
General Alatta emphasized that the army’s ultimate goal was to preserve a united Sudan “free from the Janjaweed menace.”
“We, as soldiers, do not aspire to govern; rather, the political forces have to reach an agreement and govern the country, but we tell them that Sudan is not a game for every unscrupulous politician, profiteer, and mercenary,” he stressed.
