UN chief calls on Sudanese paramilitary leader to end siege of North Darfur city
GuardianSep 25
UN Chief Urges Sudan's Paramilitary RSF to End Siege of North Darfur City
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Above: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres makes statements to journalists ahead of the "Summit of the Future" and the UN General Assembly week in New York, United States on Sept. 18, 2024. Image copyright: Fatih Aktas/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Facts
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen. Mohammed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo, to halt its months-long siege of al-Fashir, his spokesman said over the weekend.
The UN chief is said to be alarmed by reports that an all-out assault has been launched to capture the besieged capital of North Darfur. According to local sources, at least 14 people, including three children, were killed in the crossfire on Saturday.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
These latest developments give hope that the international community is finally about to take action to prevent a worst-case scenario while there's still time before Dagalo's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commit genocide against non-Arab ethnic groups in al-Fashir. That intent should have long been predicted given that the RSF is essentially the janjaweed militia that did exactly that two decades ago, when a broad coalition came together to stop such atrocities.
Establishment-critical narrative
There's a good reason the talks over Sudan have failed in spite of the dire situation faced by the civilian population. Those involved in the peace process, from the Saudis to the Emiratis to the Americans, have a vested interest in the outcome of the conflict and aren't coming to the table with the purest of intentions. There will be no hope for negotiations unless the UN gets those with a geopolitical interest in the conflict to abstain from these mediations.
