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Sudan's legitimate rulers have right to seek Wagner's services: Russia

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov says Sudan and other countries have right to turn to Wagner mercenary group's services amid fighting raging between forces loyal to country's two top generals since April 15.

AP

Fighting has killed at least 459 people and wounded more than 4,000 across Africa's third-biggest country, according to UN agencies.

Sudan's legitimate authorities have the right to use the services of the Wagner group, a Moscow-backed private paramilitary company, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

"The Central African Republic and Mali as well as Sudan and a number of other countries whose governments, legitimate authorities turn to such services, they have the right to do so, let's not forget," Lavrov told a press conference at the UN headquarters on Tuesday.

Wagner Group has been operating in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and some African countries including Mali and the Central African Republic.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced "deep concern" over the military company's activities in the war-torn country.

"It's in so many different countries, and in Africa, an element that, when it's engaged, simply brings more death and destruction with it," Blinken said during a joint press conference with Kenyan counterpart Alfred Mutua.

Fighting has killed at least 459 people and wounded more than 4,000 across Africa's third-biggest country, according to UN agencies.

Thousands of Sudanese have tried to flee to Egypt, and the UN warned it was bracing for an exodus of up to 270,000 refugees to Sudan's even poorer neighbours Chad and South Sudan.

Meanwhile, a US and Saudi Arabia-brokered ceasefire between Sudan's warring generals, Abdel Fattah al Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads paramilitary Rapid Support Forces [RSF], brought some calm to the capital, but witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries claimed to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.

Foreign nations stepped up efforts to evacuate their nationals from the chaos-torn nation, but security fears were compounded when the World Health Organization [WHO] warned of a "huge biological risk" after fighters occupied a Khartoum laboratory holding samples of cholera, measles, polio and other infectious diseases.

More than 6,400 people have fled Sudan in the evacuations including by sea to Saudi Arabia and by aircraft to Jordan and Djibouti.