KHARTOUM: Sudan’s military on Thursday warned of potential clashes with the country’s powerful paramilitary force, which it said deployed troops in the capital and other cities.
Tensions between the military and the Rapid Support Forces have escalated in recent months, forcing a delay of the signing of an internationally-backed deal with political parties to restore the country’s democratic transition. In a statement, the military said the buildup of the RSF in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country has come without “the approval of, or coordination with” the armed forces’ leadership.
It said the RSF measures “have stirred up panic and fear among people, exacerbated security risks and increased tensions between regular forces.”
The military said it has attempted to “find peaceful solutions to such violations” to prevent an armed conflict with the RSF.
The military’s statement came as the RSF deployed troops in the Northern Province on the border with Egypt. Local media reported that the paramilitary force has attempted to build a military base there.
The RSF said its deployment across the country aims at “achieving security and stability and fighting human trafficking and illegal migration.”
Recent tensions are rooted in the integration of the RSF into the military. The RSF, led by powerful Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, grew out of former militias that executed a brutal crackdown in Sudan’s Darfur region over the past two decades.
In a statement issued Thursday, Sudan’s National Umma Party — one of the country’s largest political groups — called for restraint and urged other political forces not to escalate the situation.
“All political forces must refrain from issuing any statements or support for one of the parties,” the group said. The groups have arranged an emergency meeting Thursday morning and invited leaders from both forces to attend.
Sudan has plunged into chaos since a 2021 military coup removed a western-backed, power-sharing administration and dashed Sudanese aspirations for democratic rule after three decades of autocracy and repression under Islamist President Omar Al-Bashir.
A monthslong popular uprising forced the military’s overthrow of Al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019. Since then, the former president, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over the Darfur conflict, has been imprisoned in Khartoum.
Sudan’s military warns of conflict after rival force deploys
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Sudan’s military warns of conflict after rival force deploys
- The military said it has attempted to “find peaceful solutions to such violations” to prevent an armed conflict with the RSF
Hundreds mourn in Syria’s Homs after deadly mosque bombing
- Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect
HOMS: Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday despite rain and cold outside of a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs where a bombing the day before killed eight people and wounded 18.
The crowd gathered next to the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi Al-Dhahab neighborhood, where the population is predominantly from the Alawite minority, before driving in convoys to bury the victims.
Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect.
A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, in which it indicated that the attack intended to target members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam whom hard-line Islamists consider to be apostates.
The same group had previously claimed a suicide attack in June in which a gunman opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, killing 25 people as worshippers prayed on a Sunday.
A neighbor of the mosque, who asked to be identified only by the honorific Abu Ahmad (“father of Ahmad“) out of security concerns, said he was at home when he heard the sound of a “very very strong explosion.”
He and other neighbors went to the mosque and saw terrified people running out of it, he said. They entered and began trying to help the wounded, amid blood and scattered body parts on the floor.
While the neighborhood is primarily Alawite, he said the mosque had always been open to members of all sects to pray.
“It’s the house of God,” he said. “The mosque’s door is open to everyone. No one ever asked questions. Whoever wants to enter can enter.”
Mourners were unable to enter the mosque to pray Saturday because the crime scene remained cordoned off, so they prayed outside.
Some then marched through the streets chanting “Ya Ali,” in reference to the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law whom Shiite Muslims consider to be his rightful successor.
