Sudan's defence minister says more than 20 countries are helping the RSF

Kabroun told SUNA the foreign help takes four forms: logistical support, mercenaries, money and drones. He called the conflict a comprehensive war against Sudan and its people, aimed at destroying the country, plundering its resources and changing its population make-up.

He also rejected the idea that this is a civil war or a struggle for power between two forces. SUNA is a state outlet, so the statement is the government's own account and not an independent finding.

The Sudanese army and the RSF have fought since 15 April 2023 after leaders fell out over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the army. The army is led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 13 million, according to UN and international estimates.

A pattern of foreign accusations

Sudan's military-led government has said for months that the RSF could not fight on without outside supply lines. Earlier this year the army said drone strikes on Khartoum, including its airport, came from Bahir Dar airport in Ethiopia, with drones supplied by the UAE. Sudan then recalled its ambassador to Addis Ababa. Ethiopia dismissed the claims as baseless, and the UAE has repeatedly denied arming the RSF.

The framing matches the army's public position. In early October, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the "military option" would continue until the RSF was removed from Sudan and rejected negotiations, Al Jazeera reported. Washington's plan, a 90-day humanitarian truce presented in June, called for an immediate pause followed by talks toward a permanent ceasefire and a civilian-led transition. The army has demanded the RSF withdraw from all cities it has occupied since May 2023.

The charge lands a week after governments and international bodies met in Geneva for the sixth consultative meeting on Sudan, co-organised by Switzerland and the UN. That gathering also drew more than 20 countries and bodies, a separate grouping from the countries Kabroun accuses. Participants said the war has no military solution and called for an urgent humanitarian truce, an end to foreign interference and new talks toward a permanent ceasefire, but no ceasefire was agreed. They backed mediation by the Quad, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, and by the Quintet, the African Union, the EU, IGAD, the Arab League and the UN. Neither the army nor the RSF was represented. The main mediation group, the Quad, has four member countries. One Quad member, the UAE, is a country Khartoum has long accused of backing the RSF.

The State Department's position on who should govern Sudan predates the Geneva meeting: it said last month that neither the army, the RSF, nor their leaders "represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan", Al Jazeera reported.

What remains unanswered

No government has replied publicly to the charge, and it is unclear whether the statement signals a new diplomatic step, such as a formal complaint at the United Nations.