International Media Mourn the Rebel Militia

Sudan Events – Agencies

International media, especially Western outlets, have shown considerable interest in the significant and consecutive victories achieved by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the supporting military units in recent days.

A report published on the BBC website on Friday mentioned that the Sudanese army “is making massive gains in its effort to reclaim the war-torn capital, marking its biggest victory in a year.” The report quoted statements from General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who said, “Very soon, there will be no rebels in Khartoum.” The report also highlighted the joy of many residents in the areas recently recaptured by the army, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were widely accused of killing, raping civilians in Khartoum, and looting the homes of many residents who fled the city.

As for the stance of the Al-Daqlo militia, the report revealed that the RSF rejected the reports of the army’s progress, calling them “lies and rumors.” They had denied such reports similarly before every withdrawal in recent weeks. The report also mentioned concerns from collaborators with the RSF, some of whom led militia fighters into people’s homes. Some of them joined the RSF forces, stole property, and terrorized people – even holding women captive against their will [as sex slaves]. “They did horrific things.”

Germany

Western media platforms started focusing on the news of victories since last Tuesday when the army tightened its grip on Khartoum. An article published on Deutsche Welle’s website posed the question: “Sudan: Is the bloody war coming to an end?” The article stated that the latest successes of the Sudanese Armed Forces against the RSF in Khartoum and Omdurman “indicate a shift in the bitter and bloody stalemate that dominated the past months of the war. With key strategic points returning to the Sudanese Armed Forces,” adding that observers believe that Darfur will become the final battleground. The article also noted the breaking of the siege on the General Command in Khartoum and Burhan’s return to it for the first time in nearly two years.

Deutsche Welle quoted a researcher from the German Institute for Global and Regional Studies, who said that the fall of Wad Madani into the hands of the RSF in December 2023 shocked the entire country, especially since it was followed by the RSF burning crops, destroying fields, and damaging agricultural equipment. They also used hunger as a weapon against the people of Sudan to impose control. This moment significantly exacerbated food insecurity, destroying the strategic importance of Wad Madani as Sudan’s breadbasket through the scorched-earth tactics of the rebel RSF. The researcher also quoted journalist Othman Mirghani, who stated that the countdown to the end of the war had begun and the battlefield had shifted to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which had been under siege by the Al-Daqlo militia since May 2024.

United States

Voice of America covered the RSF’s attack on the “Al-No” hospital in Omdurman on Tuesday under the headline “Five killed in hospital bombing in Sudan,” citing medical sources who told AFP that the RSF launched shells that “fell in the garden next to the hospital building.” The attack was attributed to rebels from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, who launched shells at Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, controlled by Sudanese forces. The report stated that the bombing killed 40 people and injured 70 others. It quoted South Kordofan’s governor, Mohamed Ibrahim, saying the attack targeted a market in Kadugli with the aim of destabilizing the region, adding that this rebel group, based in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, has been fighting the Sudanese military and paramilitary forces since the war began.

The US-based FIDES Agency reported Thursday that Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers are continuing their advance to regain control of Khartoum, asking whether this represents a turning point in the Sudanese conflict. These recent victories in central Khartoum have brought the army closer to the stronghold and leadership center of Mohammed Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagalo’s militia.

Canada

Canadian newspaper La Presse (Thursday) reported, citing a statement from Médecins Sans Frontières, that their teams are treating a massive influx of war casualties in Khartoum and North and South Darfur. Similar scenes have occurred at the Al-No hospital in Omdurman, which was bombed several times this week by the RSF, as well as at the field hospital in the Zamzam IDP camp in North Darfur. The militia forces also arrested the director of Al-Bashir Hospital – the last partially functioning hospital in the area – along with the director of the local kitchen and a local volunteer, according to the emergency room in the southern belt of Khartoum. The newspaper also referred to a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which revealed that 26,000 people were killed in the capital alone between April 2023 and June 2024.

France

French newspaper Le Figaro (Friday) conveyed the United Nations’ concern over the rapidly increasing death toll, stating that the Sudanese army launched an attack on several fronts in recent weeks to regain full control of the capital Khartoum. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights documented at least 275 civilian deaths between January 31 and February 5, following artillery shelling and drone strikes in Khartoum, as well as in North Darfur, South Darfur, North Kordofan, and South Kordofan. The UN emphasized that these figures are more than three times higher than the “already high” number of 89 deaths recorded the previous week. The organization also stressed that the actual death toll may be much higher than the figures they managed to verify.

On Thursday, TV5 Monde reported, citing a military source, that the Sudanese army has advanced toward central Khartoum on several fronts and is getting closer to the presidential palace. The source added that the army’s advance toward the capital represents its greatest victory in a year, since it regained control of Omdurman.

Africa

In Africa, All Africa website published (Friday) what it considered the “arrogance of RSF leaders” and their denial of the army’s victories. It quoted RSF leader Mak Abu Shotal, who posted on social media denying the mass escape of RSF forces from Khartoum, asserting that fighting continues.

The website also reported that the resistance committees of the Kalakla Al-Quba area accused the RSF of killing four men in the neighborhood last Wednesday. They stated in a Facebook post that when the army bombed the Jebel Awlia Bridge, a large number of the militia, angry after fleeing Jebel Awlia, attacked citizens in Kalakla, killing three brothers and their cousin and looting homes.

Despite all these developments on the ground, with the militia retreating and nearing extinction, and despite the many statements and confirmations from citizens and several international and UN organizations about the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the RSF, these organizations and media institutions have not yet had the courage to call for classifying the RSF as a terrorist group. This is even though the international community has labeled groups committing far lesser crimes as terrorist organizations, in terms of both the extent of damage and frequency of repetition.

Cited from Al-Muhaqiq Website