Sudanese Media Sources: Rapid Support at TV Radio Building Negotiating Surrender
According to the Sudanese newspaper Al-Ahdat, quoting sources within the Sudanese Army, the International Red Cross has initiated negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces, which have been occupying the Radio and Television building in Omdurman since the start of the war on April 15th. The goal of the negotiations is to facilitate a surrender through peaceful means due to the blockade imposed on them for over a month.
A military source confirmed to the newspaper that they agreed to the Red Cross invitation to negotiate due to the presence of prisoners in the Radio and Television building. Furthermore, the source indicated that, at the request of the Red Cross, they postponed the planned raid from the previous week. The source also affirmed that they rejected the departure of the Rapid Support Forces fighters with their weapons.
Armed forces units and Special Operations Forces stationed 500 meters from the southern side of the television have tightened the siege on the Radio and Television buildings, thus cutting off the supplies to the Rapid Support Forces inside the building.
Witnesses confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces released some of their captives from inside the Radio and Television building. The newspaper also mentioned that another group occupying the residence of the late leader of the Umma Party, Sadiq al-Mahdi, near the Radio and Television buildings, also expressed their desire to surrender, but an agreement has not been reached with the Red Cross. The newspaper stated that it had contacted the International Red Cross on this matter, but has not received a response.
Foreign Ministry Condemns Communication Disruption
On another note, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that what they termed as “the Rapid Support Militia” had cut off telephone and internet communications in large parts of the country in recent days. The statement issued yesterday, Monday, added that “This crime will have catastrophic effects on the economic and humanitarian situations and will exacerbate the ongoing suffering of civilians.”
The statement pointed out that the disruption of communication services and the internet means the halt of bank transfers and digital financial services, which have become vital for a large sector of the citizens, amid the suspension of many economic activities and means of livelihood. It also impedes the flow of humanitarian services, including medical treatment, aid, and rescue efforts for the stranded, in addition to hindering communication between Sudanese people domestically and abroad and among different states.
The statement regarded what it described as the “criminal behavior of the militia” as “new evidence that they are executing a comprehensive plan under the supervision of their foreign sponsors to destroy the fundamental structures and elements of the state in Sudan, which they implement by employing foreign mercenaries.”
The statement also emphasized that the Rapid Support Forces had previously taken control of the main centers of telecommunication companies and accused them of “looting and damaging a significant number of branches and equipment of these companies, especially in Darfur states, which resulted in long-term damage to the networks there.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community, international, regional, and humanitarian organizations, and governments concerned with achieving peace in Sudan to condemn “this barbaric crime,” as stated in the statement.
Cut off from the World
A former expert and official in the Sudanese Telecommunications Authority earlier told Al Jazeera that the Rapid Support Forces had already ordered the two communications companies, Sudani and MTN, to cut off communication and internet services to 36 million subscribers in the country. This action was a result of Sudatel’s inability to repair the fiber optic network cable for Darfur due to the war, leading to a complete loss of communication and internet services in entire states.
The former official warned that the disruption goes beyond cutting off communication and internet services as it affects banking applications, and shutting down the main servers randomly or sabotaging them would make it difficult to restart the services and might cause Sudan to be completely isolated from the world for a long time.
Workers in telecommunication companies in Sudan informed Al Jazeera that communication and internet services are facing security and logistical problems, resulting in the shutdown of two major communication companies in the country, in addition to entire states losing coverage.
The former official anticipated that the Kuwaiti company Zain, the largest operator in Sudan, was likely to follow Sudani and MTN, representing a serious development in the course of the war and a clear violation of human rights, in his words.
Rights organizations and Sudanese activists expressed concern that the continuous internet outage, for the third consecutive day, would impact the humanitarian situation in the country and create conditions for new crimes to be committed.
Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese Army, led by the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemetti), who was the Vice President of the Sovereignty Council before the outbreak of the conflict, have been waging a war that has resulted in more than 13,000 deaths and over 7 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations.
Note: The article has been translated from an original Arabic news source.
