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African Union Warns of "Division of Sudan" Due to Rapid Support Forces' Parallel Government
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The ongoing civil war in Sudan has resulted in the displacement of over 11 million people internally and the flight of 3.5 million others across borders, making it the world's largest humanitarian cri
The African Union expressed "deep concern" on Wednesday over the establishment of a parallel government by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies in Sudan, warning that this move could lead to the "division of the country."
In a statement, the African bloc condemned the RSF's announcement of forming a rival government, asserting that it poses a grave threat to Sudan’s unity.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating civil war between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The conflict has fragmented the country into areas of control, with the army holding the north and east, while the RSF controls Darfur and parts of the south.
The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and exacerbated famine in large regions, with 8 million people living on the brink of starvation.
Additionally, the conflict has displaced over 11 million people internally, with 3.5 million others fleeing to neighboring countries, making it what the UN describes as the "largest humanitarian crisis in the world."
In a small positive development, the International Organization for Migration announced on Monday that around 400,000 Sudanese have returned to their homes in recent months after the army regained some territories from the RSF.
According to the IOM statement, "approximately 396,737 people" have returned to the states of Sennar and Al-Jazira, areas recaptured by the army in December and January.
Thousands more have returned to the capital, Khartoum, which the army regained large parts of last month, raising hopes of potentially ousting the RSF from the city.
