Sudan rejects US stance on legitimacy of authorities, says it will not accept externally imposed solutions

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem on Friday rejected a US position that the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their leaders do not represent legitimate or constitutional authority in Sudan, saying his government is “open to dialogue” but will not accept externally imposed solutions.

Salem made the remarks at a news conference in New York attended by Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi and other Sudanese officials on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

“The Sudanese government is open to dialogue, but it does not accept foreign interference or externally imposed solutions on the government of Sudan, which represents the Sudanese people,” Salem said.

“Khartoum’s position is based on its commitment to national sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Sudan,” he added.

The US State Department said: “Neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, nor their respective leaders, represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan.”

In response, the Sudanese government rejected the US statement Wednesday, reaffirming its commitment to national sovereignty and calling on Washington to “engage positively” with it.

Addressing the war, Salem said the conflict that erupted on April 15, 2023, had been “imposed on the people of Sudan,” accusing external parties of financing and arming it and the RSF of rebelling against the army.

“The government participated in Jeddah negotiations in May 2023, which resulted in understandings that could have helped contain the conflict at an early stage, but the RSF reneged on them,” he said.

The army and the RSF signed the “Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan” on May 11, 2023, which included commitments to respect international humanitarian law and facilitate humanitarian work.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said the news conference also addressed Khartoum’s position on the US not issuing an entry visa to Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to attend the UN General Assembly meetings.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the failure to issue the visa, while Khartoum raised the issue of US obligations as the host country of the UN headquarters.

Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the army and the RSF since April 2023 that has killed tens of thousands of people and caused one of the world’s largest displacement crises.