Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo addresses Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters at an undisclosed location in July 2023 [Handout of video screen grab from Rapid Support Forces]

Nabil Abdallah, the Sudanese army's official spokesman, told Sputnik that mercenaries fighting for Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are from neighboring nations, not Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Malian interim government announced it is cutting off its diplomatic relations with Ukraine following Kiev's involvement in a recent terrorist attack that killed Malian soldiers and Russian military contractors in support of the Tuareg militants.

Ukrainian military intelligence service spokesperson (GUR) Andrey Yusov stated on national television that his agents assisted the militants with “necessary information, and not just information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals,” pledging that “there will be more to come.”

The interview, which has been deleted, was posted on the Ukrainian embassy in Senegal's Facebook page, where Ambassador Yury Pivovarov commented “There will certainly be other results.”

Despite assuming a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Mali has stated it supports Moscow's warning to the world following “the neo-Nazi and villainous nature of the Ukrainian authorities.”

"There is no Ukrainian presence in Sudan at all. All these conversations have nothing to do with reality," Abdallah remarked in answer to a query concerning Ukrainian involvement in the Sudan crisis in light of recent claims about their activities in several African nations.

He explained that a considerable number of foreign mercenaries are fighting with the RSF, with the majority coming from Chad, Niger, Mali, and South Sudan.

Sudanese delegation in Cairo for Geneva talks mediation meetings

The Sudanese government has announced it will send a delegation to Cairo on Monday to meet with American and Egyptian officials. This move signals a potential commitment to participating in upcoming talks in Geneva aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Previously, the Sudanese government announced, on several previous occasions, that it would refrain from attending any peace talks in Geneva "unless the Jeddah Agreement was implemented."

In a statement, the Transitional Sovereignty Council revealed that the decision to send a delegation to Cairo follows discussions with the US Special Envoy and the Egyptian government, which is an observer in the talks. The focus of the visit will be on implementing the Jeddah Agreement, specifically regarding the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from civilian areas.

It is noteworthy that senior government sources denied, in an interview with Reuters, that the Sudanese government had outlined its vision to the American and Saudi mediators. They indicated that the next steps in the talks would depend on the response from these mediators.

Government sources also refuted media reports suggesting that the Sudanese government had sent a delegation to Geneva.

Another point of contention involves the Transitional Sovereignty Council’s accusations against the UAE for supporting the Rapid Support Forces, while the Sudanese Foreign Ministry has called for an end to such support.