Khartoum: Rhino – Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed hamdan Daglo announced on Monday the formation of a special force for the protection of civilians, which will start its work immediately, and then gradually expand, to ensure and provide full safety for people, their return and stay in their homes with honor, resolve any unrest from any side, and ensure that life is normal in the areas controlled by his forces.

“Hemedti” said in a speech in a video clip broadcast by the RSF on Monday that the main tasks of the Civilian Protection Force are “protecting civilian lives and property and protecting civilian objects”, “facilitating and protecting humanitarian operations”, “securing relief personnel, international organizations and humanitarian workers”, “coordinating with civil administrations in law enforcement and promoting the protection of civilians”, “facilitating the voluntary return of displaced and war-affected people to their areas”, and coordinating with the Sudanese Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations (SARHO) with regard to humanitarian aid.

Below is the text of the letter:

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon our greatest Messenger Mohamed.

Greetings to the sons and daughters of our honorable nation.

Greetings to our courageous soldiers.

May Peace and mercy of Allah be upon all of you.

First and foremost, we pray for mercy upon all the martyrs who sacrifice their lives for the just cause of our nation and wish a swift recovery to the wounded and injured.

We congratulate our brave heroes on the significant victories they have achieved on the battlefields, which have been a great lesson in courage and valor.

I address you today as our country continues to witness more bloodshed due to the cursed war of April 15th. This war, ignited by remnants of the former regime, forced us into combat against our will. Allah is our witness that we sought to avoid it and spare our country from its catastrophes until the treacherous attack was launched against us, leaving us no choice but to fight in self-defense. Hence, we call for the formation of an international investigative committee to determine who ignited this war and to hold them accountable for all its consequences. We are fully prepared to cooperate in this matter.

We also reiterate that there is no legitimate government in Sudan following the coup of October 25th and the war of April 15th, which resulted in a complete constitutional breakdown in the country. The gang currently in Port Sudan represents only themselves and their interests, which are focused on plundering the wealth of our people.

Since the outbreak of the war, we in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) consistently offered peace as an alternative to continuing the war. Accordingly, we agreed to all initiatives, starting with the Saudi-American initiative a few weeks after the fighting began, and we signed the Jeddah Declaration on May 11, 2024. We were on the verge of signing a ceasefire agreement, but the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) delegation withdrew from the Jeddah platform and escalated the fighting instead of moving towards peace. Similarly, during the second round in Jeddah, we were close to signing a ceasefire agreement, but once again, the hands of the Islamic Movement intervened to obstruct the agreement because it would not restore them to power.

We also responded to the calls of our brothers in the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) organization to hold a meeting between the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces in Kampala on the sidelines of the IGAD Heads of State Summit in mid-January. However, the other party failed to attend at the last minute without any convincing justification or logical explanation, indicating a lack of serious will to achieve peace.

Following this, we engaged in talks initiated by our brothers in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America in Manama. These talks resulted in the signing of a Document of Principles for a comprehensive solution to the crisis between the Second Commander of the RSF and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the SAF. However, we were surprised by the SAF delegation’s withdrawal with laughable justifications.

Since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America renewed their call to return to the Jeddah platform in recent months, we agreed to return immediately and without hesitation. The other party, however, continued to procrastinate and delay, following the orders of the Islamic Movement leadership, ignoring the people’s desire to end the war and achieve peace to alleviate the difficult suffering.

Subsequently, the United Nations called for talks in Geneva regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians. We attended with seriousness and provided clear commitments, which I communicated to the UN Secretary-General. Meanwhile, the other party stalled as usual and refused to make any commitments or promises.

Despite all these actions, which demonstrate that the Islamic Movement and its elements controlling the SAF, who ignited the war, will not allow the Sudanese Armed Forces leadership to choose to cease the fighting. We will never close the door to peace. Therefore, I once again renew our acceptance of the American invitation to hold ceasefire talks in Geneva on August 14th. This is our firm and solid commitment to the Sudanese people to approach the upcoming negotiations with a genuine will to stop the war immediately and without delay, hoping to end the suffering of millions of Sudanese.

We take this chance to call upon the other party to respond to the call for peace to alleviate the suffering of our people, and we make this appeal with courage despite our victories on the battlefield.

Dear sons and daughters of our esteemed nation,

I deeply feel the pain and suffering you are enduring, and I am doing my utmost to end and alleviate it as much as I can. One of the issues that has been a constant source of concern for me is the lack of security across the country and the various violations people are subjected to. We in the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting with one hand to defend ourselves and with the other to combat the perpetrators who have terrorized the people.

We have gained victories in our battles against the remnants of the former regime, but the rogue criminals have exhausted us in battles that we are still fighting with determination and seriousness.

The country is experiencing a state of collapse due to the current war, causing significant security instability and chaos, a condition that always accompanies wars. To make more organized efforts to maintain security and protect civilians in our areas of control, I have decided to form a special force dedicated to protecting civilians, which will commence its operations immediately and expand gradually.

This force will ensure and provide complete security for the people, allowing them to return to and stay in their homes with dignity, curbing any lawlessness from any party, and ensuring that life continues normally in the areas under our control.

The main tasks of this special force will be:

1.  Protecting the lives and property of civilians and safeguarding civil objects.

2.  Facilitating and protecting humanitarian operations.

3.  Ensuring the safety of aid workers, international organizations, and those working in the humanitarian field.

4.  Coordinating with civil administrations in law enforcement and enhancing civilian protection.

5.  Facilitating the voluntary return of displaced persons and those affected by the war to their areas.

6.  Coordinating with the Sudanese Relief and Humanitarian Operations Agency (SARHO) regarding humanitarian aid.

Dear sons and daughters of our esteemed nation,

Despite all the measures and actions, we are taking, towards ending the war, achieving peace, and returning to civilian rule—which will lead to a complete democratic transition, is the effective and comprehensive solution that will end human rights violations, tragedies, and wars in Sudan.

Today, I renew our commitment to civilian rule and democratic transition, ensuring the complete and permanent withdrawal of the military from power and its disengagement from political and economic activities that will lead to the building of a new Sudan, where the former regime’s control over state institutions ends and freedom, social justice, and equality prevail among all citizens.

In conclusion, we affirm that we will exert all our efforts and capabilities to secure the lives and livelihoods of the people and alleviate their suffering, which is caused by the war and its horrors. We will never be an obstacle to just peace, which addresses the root causes of the war, restores security, peace, and stability to the Sudanese people, and fulfills their legitimate aspirations in establishing and building a fair, democratic, and civil state.

May Peace and mercy of Allah be upon all of you.