KHARTOUM, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The tension between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an armed faction, rose to a new high on Thursday amid heavy military build-up around the Merowe airport in northern Sudan.
The Sudanese army warned against the RSF deployment in the capital Khartoum and other cities without its approval.
"We are sounding the alarm that our country is passing through a historic and dangerous juncture with the danger increases as the command of the Rapid Support Forces is mobilizing forces and opening up inside the capital and some cities," the Sudanese army said in a statement.
It said the RSF movements "sparked panic and fear among citizens, exacerbated security risks, and increased tension among the regular forces."
But the RSF command stressed that the movements of its forces are carried out in coordination with the command of the Sudanese army.
"The Rapid Support Forces are national forces performing a number of national tasks and duties guaranteed by law, and they work in full coordination and harmony with the command of the armed forces and the rest of other regular forces in their movements," the RSF command said in a statement.
The RSF deployments aimed to "achieve security and stability, combat human trafficking, illegal immigration, smuggling and drugs as well as cross-border crimes, and confront armed robbery gangs everywhere," it said.
The statement added that the RSF presence in the Northern State, specifically in Merowe, comes within its presence in the rest of the states and as part of performing its tasks and duties which extend to the desert.
On Wednesday, the RSF deployed a huge force near the Merowe Airport, some 436 km north of Khartoum, which led the Sudanese army to surround and order them to leave the site. But the RSF forces made no immediate response, according to local reports.
Early this week, the RSF reportedly began transporting armored vehicles from the North Darfur state to Khartoum.
Meanwhile, the National Umma Party, the largest civil party in the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance in Sudan, called for an urgent meeting of the armed and civilian forces.
"The statements of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the tension and mobilization, the rough language, and the military movements have reached the stage before the first shot was fired," the party said in a statement on Thursday.
The party said that a quick response is needed to control the current situation before it overwhelms all previous political mechanisms and processes.
Sudan has been suffering a political crisis since the Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, 2021 and dissolved the sovereign council as well as the government.
On Dec. 5, 2022, Sudan's military and civilian leaders signed a political framework agreement to end the political impasse and institute a two-year transitional civilian authority, but the two sides have so far failed to transform the agreement into a final deal.
They have agreed on most of the issues, with the exception of those relating to the reforms of the security and military forces, under which the RSF and other armed factions will be integrated into the Sudanese army. ■