Sudan General Dares Ruto to a Fight

Sudan Armed Forces General Yasser Al-Atta has dared President William Ruto to bring the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) to a fight with his troops in a clear escalation of animosity that has been simmering for months. 

General Al-Atta, in a video shared online, has mocked Ruto and told him not to tag along East African forces who have been conducting a joint operation in the troubled Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

The Al-Atta faction has accused the Kenyan president of funding Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which has been battling the forces for the control of Khartoum since the collapse of the transitional government. 

RSF is headed by Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo, who the Yasir unit has accused of being a close ally of the Kenyan president. 

President William Ruto speaks during the flagging off of oxygen gas cylinders at State House on April 18, 2023.

“The state (Kenya) that supports you (RSF) and the mercenaries like you with money must also bring its army... leave the East African forces and come with your army to intervene and we are waiting for you,” Al-Atta stated.

SAF rejected Ruto as the mediator of the ongoing conflict after he was appointed by Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Instead, SAF has called for the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit to head the mediation team. 

The General in his address also protested the presence of an East African force tasked with protecting civilians and aid workers in Khartoum as the war drags on.  

The Sudanese military rulers have also pointed fingers at an unnamed Gulf country for supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

General Alatta noted that the army’s ultimate goal was to preserve a united Sudan “free from the Janjaweed menace.”

He stressed that they do not aspire to govern, instead, the political forces have to reach an agreement and govern the country.

“Sudan is not a game of every unscrupulous politician, profiteer, and mercenary,” he added.

As the war enters its 100th day, the army has deployed infantry forces in Khartoum to launch ground operations against the RASF militiamen. The military has also established training camps for volunteers in northern, eastern and central Sudan states.

Meanwhile, the pro-democracy coalition of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) is holding its first meeting in Cairo, Egypt since the war began in Sudan.