Sudan Deputy Leader Says Neighbour Ties to RSF Hinder Peace

27 January 2026

Sudanese Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council Malik Agar gestures toward a map while addressing members of the diplomatic corps in the South Sudanese capital, on Jan 27, 2026

January 27, 2026 (JUBA) – Sudan’s Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Malik Agar, criticized neighbouring countries on Tuesday for cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), arguing that such support undermines efforts to achieve peace.

Addressing diplomats in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, Agar said there was “complacency and cooperation” by some of Sudan’s neighbours with the RSF and cross-border mercenaries.

He argued that the RSF’s initial justifications for the war, which included claims of fighting for democracy, had been invalidated by the group’s actions against civilians in West Darfur and North Darfur.

Agar added that the RSF uses the narrative of fighting Islamists to appeal to Gulf and Western countries. Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of providing weapons and military equipment to the RSF.

“The purpose of the war is occupation and settlement to achieve the interests of other countries,” Agar told the ambassadors and representatives of the African Union and IGAD bloc. He accused the RSF of targeting service facilities in areas they had withdrawn from.

Agar arrived in Juba on Monday for talks with President Salva Kiir and security officials. The visit follows an RSF attack on military sites in the Blue Nile region launched from across the borders of Ethiopia and South Sudan. The Sudanese army said it had reclaimed one of the three sites seized by the paramilitary force.

Regarding peace efforts, Agar said regional and international initiatives had not yet met the requirements for ending the conflict. He ruled out a peace agenda formulated without Sudan’s participation while the country remains suspended from the African Union.

Sudan has made its engagement with the AU’s peace efforts conditional on the lifting of its suspension from the continental bloc, which has been in place since Oct. 25, 2021.