Yasser Arman Demands ‘Protection of Civilians and Sudan’s Historical Artefacts’

28/04/2025 11:48 KHARTOUM / EL FASHER

Yassir Arman (File photo RD)

The leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Revolutionary Democratic Current (SPLM-RDC), Yasser Arman, condemned the targeting of civilians and critical infrastructure in Sudan’s ongoing war, warning that both sides are committing war crimes and putting the country’s cultural heritage at grave risk.

In a statement issued yesterday, Arman accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of striking civilian infrastructure with drones in several cities across Sudan’s northern states, as well as Khartoum.

“It is the responsibility of the RSF not to use drones to target civilian installations,” he said. “They should distinguish between military installations and the civilian infrastructure that services civilians.”

Arman also criticised the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for previously using “indiscriminate bombardment by the army’s Air Force, targeting civilians in villages and towns,” insisting that such actions equally amount to war crimes.

The SPLM-RDC leader described the attack in Omdurman earlier today, allegedly carried out by the RSF, as “a war crime,” adding: “It is documented and videotaped by the very ones who committed it.”

Arman warned that after two years of conflict, civilians remain the primary victims, stripped of protection and left vulnerable to repeated assaults. “The biggest war crimes in this war are committed against civilians who have no protections after two years in war,” he said.

In addition to the human toll, Arman sounded the alarm over the looting of Sudan’s historical treasures, singling out the Sudan National Museum among the institutions plundered.

“The second equally big crime is the looting of museums, national archives and research centres, especially looting of the Sudan National Museum,” he said. “We should safeguard the historical memory of Sudan’s history and our people’s and land contributions in human history for over 8,000 years.”

Calling for action, Arman urged the establishment of a national legal committee to trace rare antiquities stolen from the museum and reportedly sold abroad. He also called for a broader national committee to protect civilians, bringing together all pro-democracy forces “regardless of their differences, in these crucial matters.”

Last month, Yasir Arman was detained by Kenyan authorities on arrival, based on an Interpol Red Notice issued by the Sudanese government.

The notice accuses him of terrorism, sedition, incitement, and crimes against the state, demanding his extradition to Port Sudan. Arman and his organisation dismiss the charges as “fabricated” and “political.” An Interpol Red Notice requests the provisional arrest of a person pending extradition or similar legal action.