Sudan Army Chief Freezes RSF's Bank Accounts

FILE - In this image made from video provided Friday, April 21, 2023, by the Sudan Armed Forces, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, speaks at an undisclosed location.

CAIRO - Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan ordered the freezing of all bank accounts belonging to a rival paramilitary armed group, Rapid Support Force (RSF), the latest step in a fight for control of the resource-rich nation.

The decree, issued May 14 by Burhan, will also target the accounts of all companies belonging to the Rapid Support Force [RSF], according to Sudan News Agency (SUNA).

Over the past decade, the paramilitary force has amassed great wealth through the gradual acquisition of Sudanese financial institutions and gold reserves. But it remains unclear what immediate effect the freezing would have on the RSF and how Burhan’s orders are to be enforced.

Burhan on Sunday replaced Sudan’s Central Bank governor. On Monday, he removed the country's police chief and sacked two ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry.

Chaos has taken over much of the country since the conflict broke out in April 15. The capital, Khartoum, has been reduced to an urban battlefield and the western Darfur region is rocked by deadly tribal clashes. The violence has also killed over 600 people, including many civilians, according to the World Health Organization.

A two-day outbreak of fighting in Geneina, the capital of West Darfur province, killed scores of people last week, said the Sudan Doctors' Syndicate, a group that tracks civilian casualties. It said the fighting began when RSF fighters and militiamen entered the city on Friday and clashed with other armed groups and residents.

Human rights organizations have accused the RSF of looting and attacking civilians, and the military of indiscriminately bombing residential areas.

The two sides agreed to several short cease-fires since the fighting started, but all were violated. Both have also traded blame and exchanged heated accusations of human rights abuses.

Last Thursday, the military and the RSF signed a pact in the Saudi city of Jeddah, promising safe passage for civilians fleeing the conflict and protection for humanitarian operations in the East African nation.

International efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States are underway in an attempt to turn Thursday's agreement into a lasting truce.