AU Peace and Security Council calls on RSF to urgently lift the siege on El-Fashir

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union announced its strong rejection of any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Sudan. While condemning sexual violence and the use of rape by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia as a weapon in the Sudanese war, the Council called on the militia to urgently lift the siege on the city of El-Fashir.

The Council called on the African Union to reopen its liaison office in Sudan.The AU Peace and Security Council accused the RSF militia, in a statement received (Sudanese Echoes), of committing violations against children, looting humanitarian supplies, vandalizing civilian infrastructure, hospitals and schools, occupying civilian buildings and homes and forcibly displacing their owners.

The Council affirmed its support for the Sudanese government and the African Union’s commitment to Sudan’s sovereignty, the integrity and unity of its territories.In the same context, the Peace and Security Council urged the Rapid Support Forces militia to implement the Jeddah Agreement.

The statement stressed that there is no military solution to the war in Sudan, calling for a cessation of hostilities and an immediate ceasefire without conditions. The Council stressed the need for a genuine and comprehensive Sudanese dialogue as the real and applicable path to resolving the Sudanese crisis.

In the statement, the Peace and Security Council welcomed the proposals of President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC), General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, to end the war in Sudan, namely establishing agreed-upon camps to assemble the RSF Militia’s forces, and restoring the democratic transition process in Sudan.
The statement welcomed Al-Burhan’s readiness to form a transitional government led by civilians.

The statement said that the Sudanese government expressed its concern about the suspension of Sudan’s participation in the activities of the African Union. It called for informal consultations to lift the suspension on Sudan’s membership in the African Union.