Ex-US lawmaker urges Western allies to support Sudanese army against RSF

WASHINGTON – Former US Congressman James Moran, who recently travelled to Sudan on a private visit, said that the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan should be supported in the war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has been raging since April.

Moran in an interview with the Arab World Press (AWP) on Monday said that there is need for the Untied States and the European Union to support the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) because the RSF has committed atrocities amounting to war crimes and genocide since the outbreak of war.

“The only thing that can be achieved in the short term is a temporary solution to the Sudanese crisis, which is the need for the United States and Europe to stand by al-Burhan in the face of the RSF,” Moran said.

“The RSF has committed crimes against humanity, slaughtered people, and taken their land, and it is the same approach that was followed by the Janjaweed forces, which were the nucleus of what is known today as the RSF,” he added.

Moran claimed that what the Janjaweed did in Darfur led to the secession of South Sudan. He also explained that it is impossible to tolerate the RSF because “it commits many atrocities for racist reasons, and in some ways reaches the point of ethnic cleansing.”

Moran called on the United States and Europe to make a decision to support al-Burhan “because the army forces are more disciplined and responsible, in order to curb the RSF by military force.”

Moran believes that it is impossible to allow the RSF to take control of the reins of power in Sudan.

“This is a force that has succeeded because of its brutality, and it is being armed by international forces such as Russia and others,” he said.

Moran added that no international forces will invade Sudan to take responsibility for restoring political and economic stability.

“So, we have to rely on a Sudanese force, and this force must be the regular army, and there is no other option available to us now,” he added.

The former congressman stressed the need for there to be a horizon for the formation of a democratic civilian government.

“This is what al-Burhan has pledged to do, but we are not at this stage now. Now we just have to stop the ongoing violence,” he said.

When asked about the regional forces that could play a significant role in stopping the war in Sudan, Moran said that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) “played a constructive role and realized that the regular army is the most disciplined and controlled and has a structure and a legitimate plan for the future of Sudan.”

“I believe that the African Union, some Arab countries, the United States, and the United Nations, can play a role in ending the war in Sudan.”

As for the US role in Sudan, Moran said, “The United States should intervene, but the United States has a lot to do in the conflict between Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, and of course the situation in China and Taiwan. So, it is not certain that the United States will play the role it can, or should, play.”

Sudan has been witnessing a war between the RSF and the army since April 15, 2023, which has claimed the lives of thousands of people and wounded thousands of others, and displaced thousands more.

The second round of negotiations between the army and the RSF in the Saudi city of Jeddah stalled, with the negotiations being suspended without any progress, particularly on the humanitarian files and a ceasefire.