The latest move in a struggle for control of power in Sudan, is that, the Army Chief has ordered the freezing of all bank accounts linked to the competing paramilitary outfit. Weeks of fighting between the two factions have rendered Sudan, a troubled nation, dangerously close to civil war.
The Rapid Support Forces’ official bank accounts in all Sudanese banks, as well as the accounts connected to the group’s firms, are be the target of the decree, which was issued by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, sources said.
It is still uncertain how Burhan’s orders would be carried out, and the immediate impact of freezing the Rapid Support Forces’ accounts, will have on their operations. Through the consistent capture of Sudanese financial institutions and gold reserves over the past decade, the paramilitary force has accumulated substantial wealth, that has aided them in their operations they have been doing, since the clashes began.
However, General Burhan has taken over as governor of the Sudanese Central Bank. He has also fired two diplomats at the Foreign Ministry, in addition to terminating the National Police Head of Sudan. Burhan made no more comment of his actions.
The Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces have been engaged in serious battle, over power control, since last April. The conflict has forced hundreds of thousands out of their homes, killed over 600 people, and many infrastructures destroyed. Sudan’s capital Khartoum, has been reduced to an urban battleground, and the Western Darfur has been hit with deadly tribal conflict.
Additionally, scores of people have been killed, during a two-day battle breakout in Geneina, the capital of the West Darfur region, Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, an organization that keeps track of civilian fatalities, disclosed the news.
According to the report, the clashes started, when RSF fighters and gunmen stormed the city and engaged in combat with locals, and members of other armed groups. Meanwhile, videos shared online show a medical facility being destroyed in the East Nile area, a district just east of Khartoum, while explosions echoed through southern Khartoum neighborhood.
Human rights groups have accused the warring factions of deliberately shelling residential areas, as well as robbing and assaulting residents. Since the fighting began, the two sides have agreed to a number of brief cease-fires, none of the cease-fire agreed have sailed through. Both parties have accused each other of human rights violations and responsibility.
RSF Accused Of Sexual Assaults
Notwithstanding, according to the Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese legal organization, that specializes in human rights matters, two women were allegedly assaulted by armed men, who attacked a university in Omdurman.
The lawyers claimed the incident happened inside a teacher’s dormitory at Ahfad University, which is located in RSF-controlled territory. The report comes in the wake of several allegations of sexual assault involving paramilitaries.
The Army and the RSF agreed to a deal in the Saudi city of Jeddah, vowing to protect humanitarian efforts in the country of East Africa and provide secure passage for civilians escaping the fighting. Saudi Arabia and the United States are leading international efforts to turn the accord struck, into a permanent cease-fire.
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