Khartoum has strongly condemned the Ugandan government for welcoming Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Kampala, describing the excercise as “a blatant disregard for the crimes of genocide.”
RSF and to some extent the Sudanese National Army have been accused of egregious crimes against humanity in the almost three year conflict pitting Dagalo and military junta leader Abdel Fatth al-Burhan.
Preident Museveni met Dagalo on Friday in what media reports say was part of efforts to end Sudan’s bloody conflict which has resulted in the death of tens of thousands of people and triggered the world’s most challenging humanitarian crisis.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Sudan’s foreign affairs ministry, Khartoum denounced the meeting between Dagalo and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, characterising it as an affront not only to the Sudanese people but to humanity as a whole.
The statement said the manner in which Dagalo was received showed “contempt for the lives of innocent civilians” killed since the outbreak of the war, attributing responsibility for widespread violence to the RSF and its leadership.
It added that Dagalo’s celebratory reception in Kampala disregarded the suffering of those whose homes were looted and whose rights were violated during the conflict.
Sudan further noted that the alleged atrocities committed by the RSF have been documented internationally and have been condemned by regional organisations to which Uganda belongs, including the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Sudan’s foreign affairs ministry argued that hosting Dagalo runs counter to the principles governing member states of regional and international bodies, particularly the obligation not to support armed groups opposing a government recognised internationally.
While acknowledging Uganda’s sovereign right to receive individuals on its territory and to determine its bilateral relations, Khartoum expressed “profound concern” that the reception could signal a shift in Uganda’s policy towards Sudan.
The statement warned against any action that could be perceived as extending patronage to an armed leader accused of grave crimes, including ethnically motivated killings and acts described as genocide.
