UNITED NATIONS, United States: Several members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday voiced concern over the declaration of a parallel government by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, while Kenya pushed back against accusations that it had recognized the entity.
RSF rebels and their allies fighting government forces on Sunday agreed to form a rival government, triggering diplomatic tensions between Sudan and Kenya.
The parties to the agreement, inked behind closed doors in Nairobi, said the charter establishes a “government of peace and unity” in rebel-controlled areas of the northeast African country.
“Attempts by the RSF and aligned actors to establish a government in RSF-controlled territory in Sudan are unhelpful for the cause of peace and security in Sudan, and risks a de facto partition of the country,” US Representative John Kelley told a Security Council meeting.
British Ambassador Barbara Woodward also expressed “deep concern” over the development.
“Respect for Sudan’s charter rights, its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity is vital and will be necessary for a sustainable end to this war,” she said.
Envoys from France and China echoed that view, with Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong saying the move “risks increasing the fragmentation of the Sudan.”
Deputy Algerian Ambassador Toufik Laid Koudri, speaking on behalf of the Council’s three African members Algeria, Somalia, Sierra Leone as well as Guyana, urged “the RSF and their allies to put the unity and national interest of Sudan above all other considerations.”
Sudanese Ambassador to the UN Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed denounced the move as “an unprecedented violation of the UN Charter and the AU constitution,” and accused Kenya of taking “a step that aims to dismantle the Sudan.”
His Kenyan counterpart Erastus Lokaale denied the claim.
“I reiterate that neither President William Ruto nor the Government of Kenya has recognized any independent entities in the Sudan or elsewhere,” he said.
The war in Sudan, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, erupted after a rift emerged between Burhan and Dagalo over the future structure of the government.
The war has triggered the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.
Both warring sides face accusations of committing grave atrocities against civilians, with their leaders sanctioned by the US.