RSF militia accused of causing havoc in shaken Sudan as Nairobi goofs

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. Last week, Rapid Support Forces stormed the famine-stricken camp in the Darfur region, turning the site into a "killing field". [AFP] A day after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) promised to announce a civilian government in Sudan from Nairobi on Friday, human rights groups reported that its fighters stormed al-Kadaris and al-Khelwat in northern White Nile state, executed more than 200 people, kidnapped others and looted. And for the umpteenth time, Kenya's diplomacy has come under scrutiny for hosting a militia accused of war crimes and genocide in Sudan. As fighters from RSF leave a trail of devastation back home, their leaders are setting up a parallel government from Kenyan soil - a development that now threatens a fragile region. Sudan's government has condemned Nairobi's actions, calling them a blatant violation of its neutrality pledge and a direct affront to the Sudanese people. With the world watching, Kenya must now answer a critical question: Is it offering a safe haven to war criminals at the expense of Sudan's suffering millions? The RSF have carried out horrific massacres, killing two people every hour for the past three days, according to reports by rights' groups. Several bodies give scary descriptions of atrocities caused by RSF; villages being wiped out, with victims targeted along ethnic lines. BBC reported in an article titled "Villagers Killed Execution-Style in Sudan," citing local lawyers, that paramilitary RSF massacred dozens in Sudanese villages over three days-Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday-while their leaders lounged in Nairobi, dining under the protection of President William Ruto administration. As homes burnt in Sudan, RSF officials basked in the comforts of East Africa's finest city, their war crimes a distant echo in corridors of diplomacy. "We are not aware of their activities (RSF); you can ask State House or the Ministry of Interior," a senior government official yesterday told The Standard, adding, "Law and order are maintained by the Interior Ministry." On Tuesday, Sudan's Foreign Ministry condemned Kenya for hosting a political event backing the paramilitary RSF, which is fighting the Sudanese army. The RSF, a paramilitary force that once fought alongside the Sudanese military before turning against it in April 2023, has been accused of several massacres. Amnesty International, has reported RFS and allied militia as responsible for abuse against scores of women and girls, some as young as 12, subjected to conflict-related sexual violence, including rape. "Most survivors were Sudanese, and some were nationals of other countries. They were abducted and subjected to sexual violence in their homes or when they went out to look for food or other necessities," Amnesty said, adding, "In one case, RSF members abducted a group of 24 women and girls and took them to a hotel in Nyala, where they were held in conditions amounting to sexual slavery for days, during which they were raped by RSF members." Amnesty adds that in another case, on 22 June, three plain-clothes armed Arab men assaulted a 25-year-old woman and forced her into the civil records building in the al-Jamarik neighbourhood of El Geneina. A UN fact-finding mission on September 6, 2024, outlined extensive human rights violations and international crimes, urging the protection of civilians. It stated that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the RSF and its allied militias committed additional war crimes, including rape, sexual slavery, and pillage, as well as ordering the displacement of civilians and the recruitment of children under 15 for hostilities. "Horrific assaults carried out by the RSF and its allies against non-Arab communities - particularly the Masalit in and around El Geneina, West Darfur - included killings, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence, destruction of property, and pillage," the report stated. The UN states that there are reasonable grounds to believe the RSF and its allied militias have committed numerous crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, other forms of sexual violence, persecution based on ethnicity and gender, and forcible displacement. The US State Department reports that Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined the RSF and allied militias carried out crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. By October, UN and media reports estimated over 10,500 civilian deaths. Initially concentrated in Khartoum, the conflict has spread to Darfur, Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and eastern Sudan, with widespread atrocities. By year's end, the violence continued to escalate. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa (Hemedti) under Executive Order 14098 for destabilising Sudan. The RSF's war against Sudan's military has killed thousands, displaced millions, and fueled famine. OFAC also sanctioned seven companies and one individual linked to RSF financing and arms supply. Hemedti is accused of overseeing war crimes, genocide, and systematic human rights abuses, including sexual violence and obstructing humanitarian aid. US state department reports that Rapid Support forces is a rebranded terror group Janjaweed which receives support from the United Arab Emirates. President William Ruto enjoys good ties with UAE and signed a government to government deal last month in Dubai. Cited as a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Kenya and the United Arab Emirates the deal was described by experts as a significant milestone in their bilateral relations, "This agreement is a game-changer for Kenya," stated President William Ruto during the signing ceremony in the UAE. "It will unlock significant economic potential, create jobs for our people, and enhance our competitiveness in the global market." It is now emerging that the country could have weaved itself into a web of deceit where UAE that is receiving heavy criticism from US and UN may want Kenya and other regional countries to do its dirty job in Sudan. UAE-based Capital Tap Holding and its subsidiaries, according to US Treasury's office of Foreign Assets, allegedly provided the RSF with funds and military equipment. Owner Abu Dharr Abdul Nabi Habiballa Ahmmed and his firms, including Creative Python and AZ Gold, were sanctioned for facilitating RSF operations. Human Rights Watch has documented extensive RSF atrocities in Sudan's Al Gezira state, where the group has attacked at least 30 villages and towns, killing hundreds. As the violence persists, Sudan's humanitarian crisis has worsened. The UN estimates that half of the country's population faces acute food insecurity, with over 638,000 people living in famine-like conditions. The RSF has been accused of blocking aid and restricting humanitarian access in areas under its control. Rights groups and Sudanese activists are calling for urgent international intervention to protect civilians. Inside the RFS terror in villages In Al-Sireha, RSF clashes with armed residents left 124 civilians dead and over 200 injured. Satellite images suggest fresh mass graves. Women and girls have also been targeted, with at least 25 cases of rape and gang rape, including victims as young as six. Some survivors reportedly died by suicide. Hassan, a resident of Al-Sireha, fled with his family after RSF fighters made sexual comments about his 15-year-old daughter at a checkpoint. They narrowly escaped, reported HRW. "The RSF has been emboldened by impunity," said Mohamed Osman, a Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Kenya's decision to allow them to meet in Nairobi sends a dangerous message that war criminals can operate freely." Sudan's humanitarian crisis is worsening, with the UN estimating half the population faces acute food insecurity. The RSF has been accused of blocking aid. Rights groups and activists are urging international intervention, calling for a UN civilian protection mission and targeted sanctions.

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