Published Wednesday, 28 October, 4:39 p.m. ET (10:39 p.m. Sudan time) · Source: Sudan Ministry of Defence via SUNA (state news agency), UN OCHA, Rio Times reporting
Sudan’s army-led government says it is fighting not one enemy but more than twenty. Defence Minister Hassan Daoud Kabroun told the state news agency SUNA on Wednesday that over 20 countries are helping the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group the army has fought since April 2023.
He did not list the countries or offer proof. The charge lands in the Sudan war a week after international mediators met in Geneva, Switzerland, to push for a truce.
Key Facts
- What: Sudan’s defence minister says more than 20 countries back the paramilitary RSF with drones, money and fighters.
- Who: Hassan Daoud Kabroun, defence minister of the army-led government. He did not list the countries.
- Why it matters: The United States is a mediator in the Sudan talks, and the charge widens the war’s diplomatic fault lines.
- Next: No evidence or country list has been published. Watch for replies from Ethiopia and the UAE.
This story is part of our coverage of the sudan war. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
In plain English
Sudan has been at war since April 2023. The army and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), once shared power and now fight for control.
The army-led government says foreign powers are fuelling the RSF. Those powers deny it, and the government has shown little proof.
What the Minister Said
Kabroun said 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.
Why Sudan Keeps Pointing Abroad
The accusation fits a long pattern. 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, Sudan’s capital, including its airport, came from Bahir Dar airport in Ethiopia, with drones supplied by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sudan then recalled its ambassador to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Ethiopia dismissed the claims as baseless, and the UAE has repeatedly denied arming the RSF.
Where Diplomacy Stands
On 21 October, more than 20 countries and international bodies met in Geneva for the sixth consultative meeting on Sudan, co-organised by Switzerland and the United Nations. It ended with calls for a humanitarian truce but no ceasefire.
The United States also works on Sudan with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, a group known as the Quad. One of its members, the UAE, is a country Khartoum has long accused of backing the RSF.
What It Means for US Readers
For Americans, the story is about leverage. If Sudan’s government keeps framing the war as a foreign attack, it will resist any peace deal that treats it as one party among equals.
That makes the sanctions and mediation policy run by Washington harder to land. The war has also displaced millions of people, so pressure on aid budgets and refugee routes continues whatever the diplomatic outcome.
What Is Not Known
The list of the more than 20 countries has not been published. Nor has any evidence for the number, or any detail on which support goes where.
It is also unclear whether the statement signals a new diplomatic step, such as a formal complaint at the United Nations. No government has yet replied publicly.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket, a prediction market where users trade real money on outcomes, lists a contract on a Sudan civil war ceasefire by 31 December 2026. It priced a ceasefire at 10.0% at 4:39 p.m. ET on 28 October 2026, with about US$119,639 traded.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Sources
Sudan Ministry of Defence statement as carried by SUNA, the state news agency (suna-sd.net); UN humanitarian office OCHA (unocha.org/sudan); UN press office (press.un.org); Polymarket (Sudan ceasefire market); Rio Times reporting.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
Part of our ongoing coverage
Africa: The New Scramble — the great-power contest over the continent.
Horn of Africa and the Red Sea
- Horn of Africa 2026: Why It Matters and Who Backs Whom
- Ethiopia’s Neighbors Explained, Ports, Eritrea, Somalia
- Eritrea Explained 2026, a Red Sea Country Guide
- Somalia Explained: Al-Shabaab, Somaliland, the Ports and the Fight Over a 2026 Vote
Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries does Sudan accuse of backing the RSF?
Sudan’s defence minister did not name them. He said more than 20 countries supply logistics, mercenaries, money and drones to the Rapid Support Forces.
Has anyone proved the claim?
Not publicly. Sudan has released no evidence for the figure, and the UAE, which Khartoum has long accused, denies arming the RSF.