Arman: ‘Sudan needs one army’

Deputy head Yasir Arman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction under the leadership of Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar), has criticised the existence of “five armies” in Sudan.

At a press conference in the South Sudan capital Juba on Saturday, Arman pointed to the necessity of merging the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) government militia, and armed rebel movements into a single army.

“If Sudan wants to stabilise politically, economically and socially, it must merge all armed forces in the country into a single professional national army with a new military doctrine”, he said. This new joint army must protect the state, and promote democracy and economic stability.

RSF militia

The RSF government militia constitutes an integral part of the Sudanese army, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and chairman of the Sovereign Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, asserted in a speech on December 23.

Addressing the armed forces at the Gerri military base, El Burhan said that the SAF leadership needs the RSF militiamen to guard Sudan’s borders and to ensure national security and stability.

He called on all army forces not to pay attention to rumours and to those “who are trying to sow discord between the forces by criticising the RSF militia”.

In the Constitutional Document (also known as Constitutional Charter), signed on August 17 by the then ruling Transitional Military Council and the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change, it has been agreed that both the Sudan Armed Forces and the RSF will fall under the command of the “Supreme Commander of the Sudan Armed Forces”. At the same time the RSF stays a force unto itself.

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