The Sudanese Armed Forces General Command has accused the Rapid Support Forces of enlisting children under the age of 15 in combat operations, violating international law. This claim was made in a statement by a spokesperson for the Sudanese Army on Saturday.
In the announcement, the Army’s spokesperson said, “Our forces continue to strike the Rapid Support Forces across all locations throughout the country”. The Rapid Support Forces were also accused of using criminals and prison escapees as fighters to execute related criminal operations.
Since April 15th, there have been widespread and violent clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces. These confrontations occur in various regions of Sudan, with most concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties and injuries.
Public disagreements emerged between the President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, following the signing of the “Framework Agreement” last December. This accord, foundational for the transitional period between military and civilian components, allowed for the military’s withdrawal from politics and the transfer of power to civilians.
Dagalo accused the Sudanese Army of planning to stay in power and not hand over authority to civilians. This came after the Army’s demands to integrate the Rapid Support Forces under the banner of the Armed Forces, while the Army considered the movements of the Rapid Support Forces to be a rebellion against the state.
The final political agreement to resolve the crisis in Sudan was supposed to be signed on April 1st, along with the constitutional document on April 6th of the same year. However, these plans have been hindered due to differences in viewpoints between the leaders of the Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces regarding the timeframe for integrating the Rapid Support Forces into the Army.
