Socialist International statement on Sudan
18 April 2023
The Socialist International condemns the violent fighting which has erupted since Saturday between the Regular Armed Forces of Sudan (FAS, regular army) led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Bourhane, Head of the junta which has been at the head of the country since 2021 and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohammed Daglo known as "Hametti", second in command of the junta, for the control of military bases and airports in Sudan.
The Socialist International is deeply concerned by the high number of deaths, injuries and the destruction of public and private buildings. The recent violence between rival factions within the army risks setting the country ablaze, further weakening democratic institutions, destroying the socio-economic fabric undergoing reconstruction, impoverishing populations cited as among the poorest in the world and delay the return of civilian rule.
The SI urges both sides, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to cease fighting to ensure care for the wounded, the safety of civilian populations and to create the conditions necessary for the resumption of dialogue and peaceful negotiations to preserve the unity and sovereignty of Sudan, and to create the conditions for a return to a civilian government.
The SI further calls on the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council to engage the rival parties involved in the conflict to work together to find a peaceful way out of the crisis.
The SI expresses its solidarity with the people of Sudan and gives them all its support during these moments of doubt.
In Solidarity, for Progress.