Qatar and Saudi Arabia have faulted a charter signed to establish a parallel government in Sudan by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The two are Kenya’s key Middle Eastern trading partners.
Their stance is a blow to Kenya, which has stayed firm amid criticism over the move.
In separate press statements issued over the weekend, both nations distanced themselves from the formation of a parallel government and strongly condemned the initiative.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in their statement, called for a rejection of any ”illegitimate steps” taken outside the Republic of Sudan to establish a parallel government.
”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s rejection of any illegitimate steps or measures taken outside the framework of the Republic of Sudan’s official institutions that may affect its unity and do not reflect the will of its people, including the call to form a parallel government.
The Kingdom reaffirms its firm stance in supporting the Republic of Sudan’s security, stability, and territorial integrity,” Saudi Arabia said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia challenged the parties involved in the conflict to revert to the Jeddah Declaration signed in May 2023 to avert the divisions in the nation.
”The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls on all Sudanese parties to prioritize the interests of Sudan over any factional interests and to work towards preventing division and chaos.
The Kingdom also reiterates its commitment to continuing all efforts to end the war in Sudan and achieve peace in line with the Jeddah Declaration signed on May 11, 2023.”
Qatar also condemned the interference in Sudan’s internal affairs and called on all parties to prioritise the national interest and prevent the country from risk of division.
”The State of Qatar expresses its full support for the unity, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the sisterly Republic of Sudan.
It rejects any form of interference in Sudan’s internal affairs and calls on all parties to prioritize the supreme national interest and to prevent the country from the risk of division,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar shared.
”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar reaffirms Qatar’s call for an inclusive dialogue that leads to lasting peace, preserves the unity of Sudan, and fulfills the aspirations of its people for security, stability, and development,” it added.
Their statement comes a week after the RSF signed a charter in Nairobi, paving the way for the paramilitary to govern rebel-held areas advocating for a secular state and a unified national army.
According to the text of the charter, the signatories agreed that Sudan should be a “secular, democratic, non-centralised state” with a unified national army, though it also upheld the right of armed groups to continue existing.
Among those who agreed to it was a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in the country’s south.
Abdel Rahim Daglo, deputy and brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo — who was notably absent — also signed.
The charter calls for “a secular, democratic, decentralised state based on freedom, equality, and justice, without bias toward any cultural, ethnic, religious, or regional identity”.
It also outlines plans for a “new, unified, professional, national army” with a new military doctrine that “reflects the diversity and plurality characterising the Sudanese state”.
The proposed government aims to end the war, ensure unhindered humanitarian aid and integrate armed groups into a single, national force.
The war, originally triggered by disputes over integrating the RSF into the military, has killed tens of thousands, with both sides accused of atrocities.
Last month, the US determined the RSF had committed genocide in the western region of Darfur.
The conflict has torn the country in two, with the army controlling the north and east and the RSF holding nearly all of Darfur and swathes of the south.
The army is currently on the verge of recapturing the capital Khartoum, after surging through central Sudan and regaining territory this year.
In its alliance with the SPLM-N, the RSF side now controls more of the south and has border access to Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the move could “increase the fragmentation of the country and risk making this crisis ven worse”.
But the charter’s signatories denied any intentions to divide the country.
