Published On 13/11/2025
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Last update: 23:38 (Mecca time)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s strong condemnation of what he described as systematic atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, and his threat to withhold weapons from them and classify them as a terrorist organization, opened the door to many questions and speculations as to whether there has been a change in the American position on what is happening in Sudan.
Rubio’s statements came in the context of the Group of Seven summit that includes Germany, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States in Canada regarding the war in Sudan. The statements were welcomed by the Sudanese government, while the Rapid Support considered them a biased and unsuccessful step.
The American minister accused Rapid Support of not committing to work on the American initiative calling for a ceasefire, stressing that Sudan is currently experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, calling on the warring parties to stop the fighting immediately.
Mixed reactions
These statements sparked mixed reactions between the two sides of the war in Sudan, as the Sudanese government welcomed the American position and expressed its hope that it would be a turning point in dealing with the Rapid Support Forces and the countries that provide them with military and political support.
On the other hand, Al-Basha Tabiq, advisor to the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, criticized Rubio’s statements, and considered them an unsuccessful and biased move. He added that they were understood as a political and diplomatic victory for the Sudanese army and its allies.
But from the point of view of Michael Monroy, former US National Security Advisor and senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, Rubio wanted to highlight not only the atrocities committed by both sides, but also wanted to emphasize the need for any outside party to stop supporting them.
Monroy stressed – in statements to the Beyond the News program – that external support will prolong this conflict and prolong the suffering of civilians, so Rubio wants to stop external support for the Rapid Support Group.
Late letter
But the Sudanese journalist and political analyst, Al-Ghali Shaqifat, rejected the accusations against the Rapid Support Forces, and denied their involvement in war crimes against civilians. Rather, he accused Sudanese intelligence of supporting elements wearing the Rapid Support uniform and carrying out crimes against civilians to distort the image of these forces.
Shaqifat said that the Rapid Support is present in the cities, and the parties carrying out the violations are outside the cities and are unknown parties. He confirmed that the Rapid Support arrested a large number of defendants and imprisoned them in El Fasher.
Although the Sudanese government welcomed the latest American position, Major General Dr. Moatasem Al-Hassan, advisor to the Higher Academy for Security and Strategic Studies, saw that it came too late.
The United States knew from the first day of the war that there were violations, as citizens were buried alive, poisoned, and burned in the island state.
Al-Hassan pointed out that the Rapid Support crimes in the city of El-Fasher included huge pools of blood, piles of corpses, burning and burying corpses, in addition to killing people on the basis of ethnic identity. He added that the whole world saw that a person was killed because he was of a certain ethnicity.
According to the Sudanese official, there are mercenaries brought from South Sudan, Chad, Libya and “extremist groups” such as Boko Haram.
Regarding the expected developments, Al-Hassan expected that the United States would increase its support for the state that supports the Rapid Support and put pressure on it. He added that classifying the militia as a “terrorist group” would put great pressure on its leaders and sources of funding.