Sudan – The head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and commander of the Sudanese army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, confirmed that the Geneva negotiations aim to whitewash the face of the Rapid Support Forces and their supporters, the day after talks between the two warring parties hosted by the Swiss city ended without reaching a ceasefire agreement.
Al-Burhan accused international and regional parties, saying that Sudan is facing a conspiracy hatched by international and regional parties. He said – in a press conference in the city of Port Sudan – that the Sudanese army “will not go to Geneva and has nothing to do with it and will not sit in a place where rebellion is praised.”
The Sudanese army commander added, “We will not lay down our weapons if the rebellion does not end, and we will not coexist with the rebels, nor will we forgive them or negotiate with them.”
The talks ended Friday evening in Switzerland without a ceasefire agreement, but both sides committed to ensuring safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid through two main corridors.
Humanitarian organizations regularly denounce the insecurity that hinders the delivery of aid, while more than 25 million people, more than half the population, suffer from food insecurity and are at risk of famine.
In this context, the United States organized talks in Switzerland that began on August 14 in an attempt to expand the scope of humanitarian aid access and reach a ceasefire that has been in place since April 15, 2023.
The Rapid Support Forces participated in the sessions, while the military objected to the format of the talks and did not attend the meetings, but the US special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, confirmed that the mediators were in regular contact with the military by phone.
The discussions, co-sponsored by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, included the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations as observers, all of which form a platform called “Committed to Promoting Life-Saving and Peace in Sudan.”
Before sitting down for any new negotiations to end the war, the Sudanese government stipulated the implementation of the “Jeddah Declaration” issued in May 2023 at the conclusion of talks hosted by the Saudi city of Jeddah between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
This declaration stipulated the commitment of the two warring parties to “refrain from any military attack that may cause harm to civilians,” “emphasize the protection of civilians,” and “respect international humanitarian and human rights law.”
Battles are still ongoing in several areas of Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) in a war that has left about 18,800 dead and more than 10 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations, in addition to the destruction of the country’s infrastructure, the losses of which are estimated at more than 150 billion dollars, according to some government statistics.
Source: Al Jazeera
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2024-08-27 08:03:03
