Saudi Arabia condemns ‘heinous’ drone attacks by Rapid Support Forces in Sudan
Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned drone attacks carried out by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, describing the strikes as “heinous acts” that have targeted civilians and humanitarian operations.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council in New York, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, denounced what he called criminal attacks by the RSF, including reported strikes on a military hospital, humanitarian convoys and facilities linked to the World Food Programme.
He said dozens of civilians, including women and children, had been killed in recent blasts, and warned that attacks on aid convoys in the Kordofan region were further compounding an already dire humanitarian situation.
“We call on everyone to abide by their moral and humanitarian obligations,” Alwasil told the council, urging all parties to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access in line with international law.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. The conflict has devastated large parts of the country, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan.
The Security Council session followed the release of a report by UN-backed human rights experts examining events during the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher in Darfur. The report said the violence bore the “hallmarks of genocide.” UN officials have warned that similar patterns may now be emerging in Kordofan.
The scale of the crisis has drawn international alarm. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who chaired the meeting, described Sudan’s war as the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. Millions have been displaced and tens of millions require humanitarian assistance, with famine threatening vulnerable communities.
Alwasil said Saudi Arabia had provided $100 million in humanitarian assistance since the conflict began through its aid agency, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. He added that the “unbearable challenges” facing the Sudanese people were the result of actions undermining the unity of the state and its institutions.
Within months of the war breaking out, Saudi Arabia and the United States brokered the Jeddah Declaration, in which both sides pledged to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of aid. The Kingdom, Alwasil said, continues to support efforts aimed at securing a permanent ceasefire and advancing an inclusive political process led by the Sudanese people.
Saudi Arabia was among several regional countries invited to participate in the Security Council meeting, alongside Sudan, Egypt, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates, as diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict continue.
