Sudan’s RSF accuses Egypt of involvement in air strikes on its forces

Egypt has denied Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo’s accusations, but the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claims that Egypt is involved in airstrikes against the paramilitary group.

Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, claimed that Egypt was using United States bombs in its strikes targeting his forces near Jebel Moya, a key area south of the capital, Khartoum.

In a video released online on Wednesday, he claimed, “If the Americans were not in agreement, these bombs wouldn’t reach Sudan.”

“Egypt is fighting us”, he said, accusing it of being one of six countries of interfering in the conflict, including Iran.

According to UN data, more than 10 million people have been forced to flee Sudan while more than 2 million have, according to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recently gained a foothold in the conflict that erupted in April 2023, when long-running tensions between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Dagalo broke out.

Dagalo claimed that Egypt provided SAF and al-Burhan with drone training.

The Egyptian government’s ministry of foreign affairs refuted the claims that its air force was involved in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Egypt denies those accusations, but it calls on the international community to gather the supporting evidence, the ministry said in a statement.

Egypt has participated in mediating the conflict alongside Saudi Arabia and the US. Earlier this year, it also hosted discussions between rival political parties.

The SAF recently advanced in Khartoum and the southeast of Sennar state, suggesting that the RSF chief’s alleged airstrikes against his troops would force them to retreat from the strategically important Jebel Moya region.

Dagalo also claimed Tigrayan, Eritrean, Azerbaijani and Ukrainian mercenaries were present in the country.

The RSF, which has also been accused of crimes against humanity and sexual violence, is largely to blame for the violence that has occurred in Sudan during the war.

However, rights groups claim that the SAF targeted civilians as well, bombed residential areas, and stopped aid. The army resisted attending talks in Switzerland to end the war in August.

“This war will not end in one or two, three, four years. Some people mention one million soldiers, but Dagalo predicted that by the year one million will be available.

The United Arab Emirates has also been accused of meddling in the conflict. Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, accused the UAE in June of arming the RSF.

In January, a UN report compiled for the UN Security Council&nbsp, said it had “credible” evidence&nbsp, that the UAE had sent weapons to the RSF “several times per week” via Amdjarass in northern Chad. The UAE denied the accusation.