KHARTOUM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th July, 2023) Thousands of mercenaries from neighboring countries have infiltrated Sudan to fight on the side of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against the regular army since the armed conflict began in April, the Sudanese army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdallah told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"Under the current circumstances, it is difficult to provide accurate statistics ... Thousands of mercenaries have crossed the border (since the beginning of the armed conflict), many have participated in fighting. Many of them have been found with foreign identity cards and passports, confirming that they are foreign nationals from different countries who have joined the RSF," the spokesman said.
In the early stages of the conflict, it was not possible to close the borders completely, as they were guarded by RSF units, among others, Abdallah explained.
"The rebel formations were part of our forces tasked with securing the borders with these states. They took advantage of this to organize mercenary access to Sudanese territory across the border," he said.
The spokesman added that neighboring Chad closed the borders between the countries from the first days of the conflict, but many mercenaries were able to enter Sudan before the outbreak of hostilities. The length of Sudan's borders with neighboring countries is tens of thousands of kilometers, and the RSF prepared for the rebellion in advance, which made it easier for mercenaries to enter the country, he said.
Since April 15, fighting has been going on in Sudan between the RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the regular army. The parties have been exchanging contradictory statements about the success of the fighting and control of facilities, and have launched a large-scale information war in the media and social networks. The situation in the country is not improving despite talks between the warring parties in Jeddah that began on May 6. According to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 2.2 million people are internally displaced in Sudan, and about 700,000 have left the country since the beginning of the conflict.
