Dr. Suleiman Baldo: RSF lost the war politically and lost credibility as a responsible party

Agencies – Sudan Events 

Dr. Suleiman Baldo, Director of the Sudanese Observatory for Transparency and Policies, said that the Rapid Support Forces lost the battle politically, and it cannot be a credible political ruling body responsible for the fate of citizens, countries, cities, and countryside, and its forces behave with such brutality and commit these criminal behaviors and atrocities on a regular basis.

Baldo’s speech came as a comment on the documented reports of violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces and published by international and Sudanese human rights organizations, the most recent of which is the Human Rights Watch report, which documented racist liquidations based on race and ethnicity of citizens in particular in the city of El Geneina and in Erdemta in Western Darfur.

In his interview with Radio Dabanga, he confirmed that these violations undoubtedly caused a political defeat for the Rapid Support Forces project, while it claims to be fighting for democracy and protecting citizens. He said that the Rapid Support’s talk about limiting the influence of the 1956 state was meaningless by the actual behavior of these forces. “There is no doubt that the Rapid Support Forces have committed serious, documented violations for which the leaders supervising field operations bear responsibility, and who will be held accountable before the international community.” He added.

On the military level, Baldo said that the Rapid Support Forces have become a tribal militia that has no control or connection, and its senior leadership lacks control over it or the ability to control its actions and stop the disgraceful behavior of the soldiers on the ground. If they were able, they would have done so.

“These forces now are militias that violently settle scores at the local level, and the leaders do not have any options to limit these destructive actions that slander their political and military project.” He continued. “This is also an indication of the lack of interest and sensitivity of these leaders regarding the crimes committed by the forces on the ground.” He added.

Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday that the Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias killed hundreds of civilians in West Darfur in early November 2023. The forces also committed looting, assaults, and illegal detention against dozens of Masalit in Ardamata, a suburb of El Geneina.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, about 800 people were killed during the attacks in early November in Ardamata.

Local human rights monitors interviewed survivors who arrived in Chad and estimated the death toll, most of them civilians, at between 1,300 and 2,000 people, including dozens killed on the way to Chad. 8,000 people fled to Chad, joining about 450,000 people, most of them women and children, displaced by attacks in West Darfur, especially between April and June.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 20 Masalit people who fled Ardamata into eastern Chad between November 1 and 10, including three Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers, who described a wave of killings, bombings, illegal detention, sexual violence, abuse, and looting. Pseudonyms were used for all interviewees for their protection.

Human Rights Watch also analyzed eight videos and photos posted on social media showing the Rapid Support Forces detaining more than 200 men and boys in Ardamata. One video shows fighters beating a group of men.

The organization said that it sent a letter to the Rapid Support Forces, sharing the results and questions, but it did not receive any response before the report was published on Monday.