A top adviser to the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, has said US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s remarks on halting weapons supplies “jeopardise ceasefire efforts”.

In his remarks yesterday, Mr Rubio called for international powers to stop sending military support to the RSF, the paramilitary group which has been at war with the Sudanese Army since 2023.

“This needs to stop. They’re clearly receiving assistance from outside,” Mr Rubio said.

In a statement on X, Elbasha Tibeig, adviser to RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, dismissed Mr Rubio’s comments as “an unsuccessful step” that does not serve global efforts aimed at reaching a humanitarian ceasefire.

Mr Tibeig said Mr Rubio’s comments may lead to an escalation of the fighting.

The US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt – known as the Quad – have been working on ways to end the war.

The war began in April 2023 after the Sudanese army and RSF, then partners, clashed over plans to integrate.

Last week, the RSF said they had agreed to a US-led proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire. Mr Rubio doesn’t believe the RSF intends to comply with that agreement.

“The RSF has concluded that they’re winning and they want to keep going,” he said yesterday.

He added that they’re “not just fighting a war, which war alone is bad enough. They’re committing acts of sexual violence and atrocities, just horrifying atrocities, against women, children, innocent civilians of the most horrific kind. And it needs to end immediately”.

The war has killed at least 40,000 people, according to the World Health Organisation, and displaced millions more. Aid groups say that the true death toll could be much higher.

The RSF is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity across Sudan since the war started. Most recently, there were reports of mass killings during the fall of Al Fashir, a city which was recently captured by the RSF.

A Sky News investigation into events in Al Fashir found thousands were targeted in ‘killing fields’ around the Sudanese city.

Marco Rubio did not specify which countries he was referring to in his calls to halt arms supplies, but US intelligence assessments have found that the United Arab Emirates, a close US ally, has been supplying weapons.

Previous reporting on Sky News has supported allegations that the UAE militarily supports the RSF, though the country officially denies it.

“I can just tell you, at the highest levels of our government, that case is being made and that pressure is being applied to the relevant parties,” Mr Rubio said.

A coalition led by Iraq’s prime minister has won the country’s parliamentary elections, Baghdad’s electoral commission has said.

Mohammed Shia al Sudani, who has led the Middle Eastern nation since 2022, was seeking a second term in power.

During the campaign, he attempted to portray himself as a leader who could bring stability to Iraq after years of crisis.

But many young voters saw the vote as a means for the country’s elite to divide the spoils of the country’s oil wealth among themselves.

The coalition Mr Sudani leads received 1.32 million votes. Turnout was 56.11%, the electoral commission said on Wednesday.

Supporters of the prime minister held celebrations in Baghdad shortly after the announcement of the preliminary results.

Hamid Hemid hailed his victory, saying: “He is the number one in Iraq, and not only Baghdad.”

However, the result does not mean Mr Sudani will necessarily remain the prime minister.

No single bloc of parties won enough seats to form the government themselves, meaning a coalition deal will have to be struck.

In several past elections in Iraq, the group winning the most seats has not been able to impose its preferred candidate.

Read more:
Trump asks for Netanyahu pardon
The ex-jihadi meeting Trump

After the last elections, which took place in 2021, a party led by influential Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr won the largest number of seats but withdrew from negotiations to form a new government.

Speaking in a televised speech following the announcement of the initial results, Mr Sudani said: “The voter turnout is clear evidence of another success, reflected in the restoration of confidence in the political system.”

Iraq has been wrecked by violence and dominated by powerful Iran-backed militias since it was invaded by a US-led coalition in 2003.

Earlier this year, Mr Sudani travelled to London to negotiate a series of deals on the economy and diplomacy.

Speaking to Sky News during his visit, he insisted he was in control of Iraq despite the presence of armed groups using its territory to attack Israel.

He said: “We’re not embarrassed in any way, we carry out our duties to enforce the law, to maintain security and stability in Iraq and reject all means of violence. We won’t allow any side to dictate the decision between peace and war.”

Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers have resigned amid a major embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving the state nuclear power company.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the removal of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk on Wednesday, with the pair later submitting their resignations.

The damaging scandal – fast becoming one of the most significant government crises since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion – has put top officials under scrutiny.

It could not come at a worse time for Ukraine, as Russia’s renewed attacks on energy infrastructure cause rolling blackouts and Kyiv’s outnumbered forces retreat under relentless assaults.

At the centre of the scandal, Mr Halushchenko and other well-known ministers and officials are alleged to have gained payments from constructing fortifications against Moscow’s assaults on energy infrastructure. Former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov is also alleged to have been involved.

Mr Halushchenko said he would defend himself legally, while Mr Grynchuk posted on social media: “Within the scope of my professional activities there were no violations of the law.”

The findings of a 15-month investigation, including 1,000 hours of wiretaps, were revealed by the same anti-corruption watchdogs Mr Zelenskyy sought to weaken earlier this year.

These resulted in the detention of five people, and another seven linked to about $100m (£76m) in alleged kickbacks in the energy sector.

Ukrainian officials are scrambling for European funds to manage mounting energy shortages as Moscow targets critical infrastructure and natural gas production in an attempt to damage public morale.

The nation has been plagued by corruption since gaining independence, and Mr Zelenskyy was elected on a mandate to eliminate graft.

Read more:
Newly opened 758-metre bridge in China collapses
Police in Germany arrest suspected Hamas member

Military procurement scandals also led to the ousting of Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in 2023.

Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy’s party, said the scandal looks “really bad in the eyes of our European and American partners”.

He said: “Internally this scandal will be used to undermine unity and stability within the country. Externally, our enemies will use it as an argument to stop aid to Ukraine.

“While Russians destroy our power grid and people have to endure blackouts, someone at the top was stealing money during the war.”

But questions remain over how high the alleged corruption goes.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau, known as NABU, refrained from identifying the suspects.

But it said they included a businessman, a former adviser to the energy minister, an executive who oversaw physical protection at state energy company Energoatem, and others responsible for money laundering. It dubbed the scheme “Midas”.

The agency also accused eight people of abuse of office, bribery, and possession of disproportionate assets.

The investigation, which NABU said conducted over 70 raids, was welcomed by the Ukrainian president, who urged officials to cooperate with it. Energoatom said the inquiry didn’t disrupt its operations.

NABU released excerpts of tapes in which the network, using code names and secretive language, discussed blackmail and pressuring Energoatom contractors to extract 10% to 15% in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for them to do business without facing internal blocks.

The network took advantage of a regulation enforced during martial law prohibiting contractors from claiming debts in court from companies providing essential services, such as Energoatom, which has annual revenues of around $4.7 billion (£3.6 billion). Four others worked to launder the money at a Kyiv office.

The tapes, which have not been independently verified, say about $1.2 million was handed to a former deputy prime minister, whom the plotters called “Che Guevara,” after the Argentinian revolutionary leader.

Ms Svyrydenko also said the cabinet submitted proposals to apply sanctions against Timur Mindich, a close associate of Zelenskyy, and businessman Alexander Tsukerman.