By Matik Kueth
South Sudan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has dismissed as claims by Sudanese General Yasser Al-Atta that South Sudanese make up 65% of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as “baseless and unfounded”. The statement, made by ministry spokesperson Apuk Ayuel on Tuesday, follows heated exchanges at the UN Summit, raising tensions between the two nations.
“Response to the statement by General Yasser Al-Atta. On 20th of January 2025, media outlets broadcast video footage of General Yasser Al-Atta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, addressing troops from an undisclosed location. During this address, he claimed that South Sudanese citizens constitute 65 percent of the Rapid Support Forces, fighting force. Interestingly, General Yasser Al-Atta acknowledged that many who might have joined the RSF are opposition elements, explicitly naming the group led by General Stephen Buay, which the government of South Sudan does not control. While we appreciate General Al-Atta’s expression of confidence in the leadership of South Sudan and his apology for the violations perpetrated by individuals, we strongly condemn his assertion that South Sudanese citizens make up 65 percent of the RSF, as it is both false and dangerous.” Said Amb. Ayuel
Ayuel pointed out that Gen. Al-Atta had delivered contradictory messages to President Kiir while blaming South Sudan of doing little to dissuade South Sudanese citizens from joining the RSF.
She stated that, “Notwithstanding this background, describing South Sudanese as forming 65 percent of the fighting force within RSF is an absolute exaggeration.”
However, Ayuel noted that the South Sudanese components involved in the Sudanese war are militia groups recruited and armed by the previous Sudanese regime’s Department of Popular and National Forces.
In a similarly unsatisfactory and regrettable approach, she underlined that Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a surprising statement on the 23rd of January 2025, echoing General Yasser Al-Atta’s remarks in its actual context, taking issue with South Sudan’s statement at the recent United Nations Security Council open debate on African-led and development-focused counterterrorism in New York.
Ayuel urged the foreign ministries of South Sudan and Sudan to lead collaborative efforts to address and resolve existing difficulties in an amicable and considerate manner.
“The government of the Republic of South Sudan reiterates its commitment to sustaining cordial relations with Sudan and upholding the guiding principles and overarching objectives of global order, international humanitarian law, human rights, state sovereignty, mutual respect, win-win cooperation, promoting peaceful coexistence, and peaceful dispute resolution in any conflict,” she stressed.
During a UN Security Council summit in New York on January 22, 2025, Ramadan Abdallah Goc, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, urged the council to investigate the awful slaughter of innocent citizens in Al-Jazeera State to provide transparency and accountability.
The heinous incident, which occurred on January 11, 2025 and featured trending videos of South Sudanese nationals being slaughtered on live camera, sparked widespread outrage from the South Sudan government, the African Union, IGAD, and the global community over the precarious situation of stranded South Sudanese citizens in conflict-plagued Sudan.
However, Sudanese army leader, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, in response, apologized for the atrocities caused by the SAF and formed a committee to investigate the atrocities committed against South Sudanese nationals in Wad Medina, Al-Jazeera State, though it is unclear when the findings will be disclosed.