
South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has condemned General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) for allegedly linking South Sudanese citizens to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In a press statement on Tuesday, spokesperson Ambassador Abuk Ayol Miyan expressed her country’s displeasure over remarks following brutal massacres of South Sudanese civilians in the Sudanese state of Al-Jazeera last month.
A video aired showing SAF General Yasser Al-Atta addressing his troops, claiming that 65% of the RSF consisted of South Sudanese citizens. Al-Atta also expressed support for South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, while simultaneously accusing the South Sudanese government of failing to prevent its citizens from joining the RSF.
The spokesperson rejected these claims, clarifying that many of those who joined the RSF were former opposition members, particularly from the group led by General Stephen Buay, which is not controlled by the South Sudanese government.
“South Sudan believes General Al-Atta is fully aware, through his extensive experience in South Sudan, that the Sudanese army has historically armed South Sudanese militias. The army has a unit called ‘The People’s Forces and National Powers’ responsible for recruiting South Sudanese citizens,” she stated.
She also noted that these militias continue to operate along the border, often employed by SAF military intelligence.
Some South Sudanese militias were even sent to fight in distant wars like Yemen. According to reliable records, two South Sudanese groups were sent to Yemen by the Sudan’s SAF-controlled government, led by the late General Peter Gadet Yak and General Thomas Thiel Awok.
The South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed Sudan’s claim that 65% of the RSF is composed of South Sudanese as an “absolute exaggeration.”
Many of the South Sudanese groups mentioned are still fighting alongside the SAF, including General Thomas Thiel Awok, who works in Sudan’s military intelligence unit, along with General Jafur Do Elbaid and Lieutenant General Ibrahim Al-Maz Deng.
The spokesperson further criticized Sudan’s SAF-controlled foreign ministry for issuing a statement in January 2025, in opposition to South Sudan’s position on the UN Security Council’s open debate on African-led counterterrorism efforts and development in New York. South Sudan rejected Sudan’s accusations as baseless.
She clarified that South Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Ramadan Mohamed Abdullah, sought the UN Security Council’s support for an investigation into the massacre of innocent citizens in Al-Jazeera, not for intervention by the African Union or the United Nations in Sudan.
The South Sudanese government has reiterated its call for an independent investigation into the horrific massacre in Wad Madani.