Head of Sudan's RSF accuses Egypt of being involved in airstrikes on group's troops

CAIRO (Reuters) - The leader of the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, accused Egypt of being involved in airstrikes on the group's troops in a recorded speech on Wednesday.

He also accused Cairo of training and providing drones to the country's army, which has recently gained an upper hand in the conflict that has ravaged the country for almost 18 months.

The Egyptian foreign ministry later issued a statement in which it denied Hemedti's accusations regarding the participation of Egyptian aviation in the ongoing war in Sudan.

"While Egypt denies those claims, it calls on the international community to ascertain the evidence that proves the truth of what the RSF militia leader said," the foreign ministry added.

While Egypt has been perceived as close to the Sudanese army and its chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country has joined efforts by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to mediate the conflict.

Cairo also hosted talks between rival political factions earlier this year.

In his recorded video message, Hemedti said Egypt used U.S. bombs in its strikes.

"If the Americans were not in agreement these bombs would not reach Sudan," he added.

He also referred to Tigrayan, Eritrean, Azerbaijani and Ukrainian mercenaries being present in the country and reiterated accusations that Iranians participated in the war alongside the army.

The army has recently made advances in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and the southeastern Sennar state, where Hemedti suggested the alleged Egyptian airstrikes against his troops pushed them back from the strategic Jebel Moya area.

In what appeared to be a change in tone from previous statements supporting peace efforts, the RSF's head said: "This war will not end in one or two, three, four years. Some talk about one million soldiers and soon we will reach one million."

The war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has forced almost 10 million people from their homes, sparked widespread hunger and famine, and seen waves of ethnically-driven violence blamed largely on the RSF.

(Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir; writing by Jaidaa Taha; Editing by David Gregorio and Daniel Wallis)