Sudan defence ministry calls on retired soldiers to take up arms against RSF

Sudan's defence ministry has called on retired army soldiers to come out of retirement and join the fight against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a statement issued on Friday.

The ministry urged returned soldiers to report to the nearest military command and assist in the right against the RSF, in a statement shared on the ministry's official Facebook page.

The ministry called upon "all officers, non-commissioned officers, and retired soldiers of the armed forces, aged below 65 and physically and medically capable, to support the military efforts", according to the statement, adding that the order would come into effect on Sunday.

The statement sought to clarify a previous announcement which had sparked controversy.

In an earlier statement, the ministry urged all individuals able to take up weapons to arm themselves at the nearest military command for "self-protection".

The statement drew criticism from Sudanese social media users who accused the ministry of involving civilians in the conflict.

At least 863 people have been killed so far in the fighting, according to the Sudan Doctor’s Syndicate, while hundreds of thousands have attempted to flee their homes to safety. 

The fighting erupted on 15 April following years of tensions between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti.

Most immediately, the fighting was caused as Burhan and Hemedti were outlining a plan to transition Sudan to a civilian government.