Sudanese Prime Minister Demands International Trial for 'RSF Crimes'

(Patria) - Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris has called for trials before international courts for crimes committed in the city of al-Fashir, which was seized by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, AFP reported.

In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Blick published on Sunday, Kamil Idris rejected the "illegal" idea of deploying foreign troops to his country, which has been ravaged by civil war since April 2023.

"The international community has done too little," Idris said. "We need actions, not just words. Every crime must be prosecuted in the courts - including at the international level."

After eighteen months of siege, bombardment, and starvation, the RSF took control of al-Fashir on October 26, seizing the army's last stronghold in Sudan's western Darfur region. In the days following the city's capture, survivors reported executions, looting, rape, and other crimes, sparking international outrage.

Idris called on all United Nations member states to designate the RSF as a "terrorist organization and to fight against them because of it".

However, the Sudanese Prime Minister told Blick that he believes "UN peacekeeping missions... would not be desirable" in Sudan.

"International troops would undermine Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is illegal, it would only increase confusion and be counterproductive," Idris added. "The Sudanese army and people are determined to save and liberate al-Fashir."
The fall of al-Fashir to the RSF gave them full control of all five state capitals in Darfur, effectively dividing Sudan along an east-west axis. The paramilitary forces have established a self-proclaimed rival government in Darfur, while the army holds the north, east, and center of Sudan.

The civil war has raised fears of another division of the country, after South Sudan already declared independence in 2011.

The RSF – descendants of the Janjaweed Arab militias accused of genocide in Darfur two decades ago – are also accused of ethnic massacres since the outbreak of the war.