KHARTOUM, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Wednesday issued a constitutional decree dissolving the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to a statement by the sovereign council, Al-Burhan instructed the Sudanese army's General Command, the general secretariat of the sovereign council and other concerned authorities to put the decision into effect.
"The decision was based on the repercussions of the rebellion of these forces against the state, the grave violations they committed against citizens, and the deliberate sabotage of the country's infrastructure, besides their violation of the goals, tasks, and principles contained in the Rapid Support Forces Act of 2017," the statement said.
The SAF was formed in 2013 by tribal fighters who fought on behalf of the Sudanese government against rebellion in the Darfur region in western Sudan.
At first, the RSF was under the command of the National Intelligence and Security Service, before the Sudanese Parliament in 2017 passed a law affiliating the RSF to the Sudanese army.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, resulting in at least 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to figures released by the Sudanese Health Ministry. ■