Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Tuesday of assassinating Adam Abdullah Mohammad Mokhtar, the principal chief of all tribes in North Darfur’s Um Kadada region. According to RSF, Mokhtar was fatally shot in his home by SAF in front of his family.
RSF labeled this act as a “heinous act” designed to sow division among regional tribes and incite a civil war in Darfur. They asserted that this follows the army’s inability and the “former regime’s extremist militias and jihadi shadow brigades” to resist RSF forces on various fronts.
RSF claimed that SAF’s actions are a deliberate attempt to ignite ethnic tensions by mobilizing tribal militias and elements associated with the former National Congress Party and its battalions.
Despite these efforts, RSF noted that the strategy to capitalize on unrest following events in Geneina has been thwarted by the unity and solidarity demonstrated by the people of Darfur.
The Sudanese group vowed to hold accountable those responsible for murdering innocent civilians and committing atrocities based on ethnicity, race, region, and ideology. RSF expressed their determination to defeat conspiracies orchestrated by the corrupt former regime and guide the nation toward a future founded on the principles of freedom, peace, and democracy.
Sudan has since April 15, 2023 been plunged into a civil war pitting army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The conflict has resulted in a devastating toll, with over 12,190 casualties and the displacement of more than seven million people, according to estimates by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and UN figures, respectively.
Mediation efforts have faced significant obstacles due to deep-seated animosity between the rival factions. Despite Burhan’s administration continuing to issue statements as Sudan’s government, Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces assert control over Khartoum’s streets, Darfur, and a substantial part of Al-Jazira, once Sudan’s vital agricultural region.