RSF using South Sudan as supply route for fuel, says leaked UN report

KHARTOUM – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a rebellious paramilitary group in Sudan, has reportedly secured a fuel supply route through South Sudan, according to a leaked UN Panel of Experts report on Sudan.

The five-member Panel’s report exposes war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the RSF and allied Arab militias in the Darfur region.

The document reveals that trucks transporting fuel regularly moved from South Sudan’s capital Juba to Western Bahr el Ghazal State’s capital Wau then to RSF-controlled areas in South Darfur State through Raja and Kafia-Kingi.

“Trucks carrying fuel moved from the capital, Juba to Wau, weekly,” the report said. “From Wau, fuel was transported in civilian cars such as Land cruiser to Raja, then to RSF-controlled areas in South Darfur, through Kafia-Kingi.”

However, the Panel clarified that South Sudanese government authorities played no role in the fuel transportation, attributing it to local South Sudanese army officers within Wau.

The report also pointed out that the transfers of arms and ammunition into Darfur violated the arms embargo.

“The Panel notes that the transfers of arms and ammunition into Darfur constituted violations of the arms embargo,” partly noted the 47-page report.

Sudan’s Foreign Minister, on Saturday, condemned the ongoing supply of advanced weapons to the RSF by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other unnamed countries.

There are concerns that this support enables the RSF to expand its military operations, commit atrocities against civilians, and prolong the conflict in Sudan.

In a statement seen by Sudans Post, the ministry criticized the international community’s slow response to the situation in Sudan, expressing dissatisfaction with its reluctance to take decisive action against the RSF.

The ministry argued that this reluctance contributes to the continuation of the war and the suffering of millions of Sudanese people.

The Panel of Experts on Sudan was established by the UN Security Council in resolution 1591 (2005) on March 29, 2005. Originally based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Panel has been home-based since 2012.

The Council added a fifth expert to the Panel in 2006 to enhance its effectiveness, as per resolution 1713 (2006) of September 29, 2006.