The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have accused General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) of launching a “treacherous” attack on their positions in the city of Babanousa in West Kordofan state on Monday morning, saying they were forced to respond in self-defense.
In a statement issued by the office of the RSF spokesperson, the group said units under General al-Burhan’s army, which it described as operating under the “so-called terrorist Islamic Movement” and allied militias, had attacked RSF forces despite the humanitarian truce the RSF says it is committed to.
The RSF claimed that SAF has repeatedly exploited this declared truce to carry out assaults on a number of cities and villages, resulting in the killing and wounding of “hundreds of innocent civilians,” and continuing to mobilize militias in ways that endanger civilian lives and disrupt the flow of humanitarian aid.
The statement called on the Quad countries and regional and international organizations to condemn what it described as ongoing attacks by SAF linked to the Islamic Movement, citing in particular an assault on the Kumo area in South Kordofan, which the RSF said led to the killing of more than 46 students and the injury of dozens of others.
Reaffirming what it called a legitimate right “guaranteed by all international laws,” the RSF insisted that it will exercise its right to self-defense and to protect civilians in the face of such attacks.
