South Sudan responds to allegations of supporting Sudan’s RSF
By Anak Dut
South Sudan has denied the accusation by the Sudan government that it is supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Addressing the media in Juba yesterday, Ambassador Apuk Mayen, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is an absolute exaggeration to describe South Sudanese as forming 65% of the fighting force within RSF, by Gen Mohamed Dagalo (Hemedti) .
She disclosed that instead there are South Sudanese armed groups who are still fighting alongside the Sudanese army, including Maj. Gen. Thomas Thiel Awak (also known as Altom Ali Zain) from Twic County in Warrap State, who serves in the Sudanese Military Intelligence Unit, along with Gen. Jafour Dou Elbaid from the Abyei area and Lt. Gen. Ibranim Al Mazz Deng.
Apuk continued that those are holdout groups and the government of South Sudan does not have control over their operation.
She said when South Sudan fortunately proves undefeatable through militia proxies, those militia elements continue to lurk along the borders where the Sudanese Military Intelligence Unit uses them for their national support.
She unveiled that there are authentic records showing that two groups of South Sudanese nationals led by Late Gen. Peter Gatdet Yak and Gen. Thomas Theil Awak were sent to Yemen under arrangements made by the Sudanese government.
“While we appreciate General Al-Atta’s expression of confidence in the leadership of South Sudan and his apology for the violations perpetrated by individuals, we strongly condemn his assertion that the South Sudanese citizens make up 65% of the RSF, as it is both false and dangerous,” she said
“We are surprised that General Atta is pedaling such falsehood, which may have motivated some members of SAF to commit horrific massacres against innocent South Sudanese citizens in Wad Medani and its surroundings.”
Apuk highlighted that the recent statement made by Ramadan Muhammed Abdullah Goc, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in New York, was a request for support of the United Nations Security Council to join the call for an investigation into the tragic massacre of the innocent South Sudanese citizens in Gezira State and was not intended to request the intervention from the United Nations in Sudan and African Union.
“When addressing the issue of terrorism in our New York statement, we referred to our fight against terrorism since the days of our liberation struggle.”
She hinted that the statement did not call for intervention by the African Union, saying it was wrongly and unjustifiably in the statement issued by the Sudanese Foreign Ministry.
The government of South Sudan also dismissed the accusation by Sudan that it has been providing treatment for wounded RSF soldiers, stressing that instead, it has been hosting Sudanese soldiers who withdrew from the fight.
“We hosted a number of Sudanese soldiers who withdrew from Mariam city to South Sudan,” Ambassador Apuk said.
“We are still accommodating some of these Sudanese soldiers in South Sudan after disarming them and considering them regular civilians following norms and practices in such situations while awaiting their transportation back to Sudan.”
“South Sudan rejects the accusations contained in the statement as unfounded and misleading, which do not reflect the realities on the ground and undermine the historical and bilateral ties between South Sudan and Sudan,” Ambassador Apuk stated.
