By Matik Kueth
The African Union Stop Security Body has urged member states not to support a controversial parallel government proposed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, warning that it could lead to the fragmentation of the country.
The East African reported that the 15-member AU Peace and Security Council, which had taken weeks to state its position on the issue, finally agreed on a statement on March 11, warning that any attempt to back a parallel administration could lead to the breakup of Sudan.
The council issued a press statement rejecting and condemning the recent announcement of a parallel government by the Rapid Support Forces and its appellate in Nairobi.
The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese military government since April 2023, resulting in more than 30,000 deaths and 12 million displaced people.
Sudan itself is suspended from the African Union activities, but the AU security organ said it would treat Khartoum according to African Union norms.
The council called on all AU member states and the international community to refrain from recognizing or providing support to any armed or political groups seeking to partition and govern any part of Sudan or its institutions.
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The RSF and some 18 other allied movements signed a charter in Nairobi three weeks ago establishing a government of peace and unity, a development that has put the Kenyan government under international scrutiny for allowing a rebel movement to set up a parallel government on its soil.
Initially, Nairobi said its actions were in line with its wider role in peace negotiations and its commitment to helping Sudan find a solution to its ongoing political crisis.
Kenya’s prime cabinet secretary, who is also the foreign affairs and diaspora minister, Musalia Mudavadi had claimed that it was following its tradition of facilitating peace agreements in the region, including the Somali peace process of 2004 and the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in Nairobi in 2005.
However, the Kenyan government has since slowed its support for the parallel government, especially after President William Ruto faced a series of criticisms for his closeness to RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
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The African Union said it was committed to preserving Sudanese sovereignty and territorial integrity while pursuing a peaceful resolution to the conflict, which has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and displaced more than 12 million Sudanese civilians.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the council’s position, saying it reflects the principles of Pan-Africanism and respects both the AU Constitutive Act and the UN Charter on the Preservation of State Sovereignty, Unity and Territorial Integrity, and the rejection of interference in the internal affairs of states.
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