The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia has had far-reaching consequences, even beyond the country’s borders. Saudi Arabia picked a side early on and has been supporting the army both militarily and financially. In light of ongoing regional escalations, the Kingdom should take stronger measures; it should leverage its diplomatic ties with the West and seek the designation of the RSF militia as a terrorist organization.
The Rapid Support Forces originated mainly from the 2013 reorganization of the infamous Janjaweed militia. They were established to assist government counterinsurgency efforts in Darfur and South Kordofan. The Sudanese parliament formally legitimized its operations through legislation in 2017. Throughout the conflict, the RSF has been responsible for numerous atrocities, including village devastation, protester killings, sexual assaults, mass murders, illegal imprisonments, attacks on medical facilities and religious buildings, aggression toward media personnel and organizations, ethnically-motivated violence, and the use of child soldiers.
There are several ways the militia represents a threat to Saudi Arabia; for instance, the recent drone attacks on Port Sudan, a strategic Red Sea city facing Saudi Arabia’s western coast, reveal how far the militia is willing to go to destabilize regional security. These attacks threaten one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors and cannot be dismissed as isolated incidents.
Moreover, the militia functions as a key proxy in the UAE’s regional strategy, advancing its interests through proxy wars in Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. This approach has systematically undermined legitimate governments and fueled separatist ambitions. Such a vision for reshaping the Middle East comes at the direct expense of Saudi Arabia’s historic influence and security interests. This growing presence of armed proxies along the Red Sea poses a strategic challenge to the Kingdom.
Understanding this risk, Saudi Arabia started to escalate its support for Sudan through funding the purchase of jet fighters from Pakistan and coordinating with Egypt to block UAE air shipments to Libya that carry arms and weapons to the RSF militia. Saudi Arabia also toughened its tone and condemned the UAE indirectly for backing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries.
Read More: Pakistan Warns Against Inaction as Sudan’s El Fasher Falls to RSF
There’s, however, a parallel step of equal importance that Saudi Arabia can move on by pushing for the designation of the RSF militia as a terrorist group. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman already taken a step in this direction by urging the militia’s designation as a terrorist organization during his meeting with President Trump last November. This step reflects a broader effort to curb militia-driven destabilization and protect regional order. The King’s request is backed by many key decision makers inside the U.S., for instance.
The US Congress is considering a proposal submitted by Senator Jim Risch, the head of the Foreign Relations Committee, requesting that the Department of State conduct an assessment to determine if the RSF militia meets the criteria for a foreign terrorist organization. On his side, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who legally has the authority to designate, showed his openness to take this step. However, Saudi Arabia put more lobbying effort in D.C. push this issue forward.
Saudi Arabia should also engage with the EU and back its ongoing assessment to designate the RSF militia as a terrorist organization. In the UK, which yet to consider such a step, Saudi Arabia could work to influence policymakers to initiate the process. Indeed, both the UK and the EU have strategic interests in the stability of the Red Sea area.
The RSF attacks against civilians provide strong legal ground to call for the designation. In recent weeks, the RSF militia has conducted drone strikes against various civilian Infrastructure throughout the country, such as power plants, civilian airports, oil facilities, telecom and internet networks, as well as water dams that serve the whole country. The impact of these attacks has been devastating on the lives of citizens.
To mitigate any harm from the designation of civilians in areas controlled by the militia, the letter requested that measures be taken to safeguard the provision of humanitarian assistance, as well as journalism, human rights work, and personal remittances.
The designation of the militia is both symbolic and practical, as it will signal to the public that the militia is not welcomed and has no future and will legally prohibit any kind of financial or military support to the militia, which will significantly limit the capabilities of the militia to launch more attacks on civilians and undermine the security of the region.
It has become evident that the RSF militia’s long-term objective is the complete takeover of Sudan, carried out in alignment with the regional vision of its principal sponsor. Saudi Arabia, possessing both the power and the leverage, is uniquely positioned to act decisively and confront this threat before it further destabilizes the region.
*The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Diplomatic Insight.
Mohamed Suliman
Mohamed Suliman is a writer based in Boston, USA. His work centers on the war in his country, Sudan.
