Wargani Qubeiho, the Executive Secretary of the Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), stated that the summit held by the authority has succeeded in obtaining a commitment from the warring parties in Sudan to meet soon to agree on a cessation of hostilities.
He added through the (X) platform, “I am pleased with the successful outcomes of the forty-first session of the IGAD Summit held in Djibouti. I appreciate the constructive discussions and guidance to address the conflict in the Republic of Sudan.”
Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council President Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan said yesterday that external interventions in his country’s crisis prolong the duration of the war.
The Sovereignty Council, in a statement, reported that Al-Burhan stated during the IGAD Summit that external interventions include the continuous supply of arms from inside and outside the region and even from outside the African continent. He also mentioned the ongoing arrival of “mercenaries” from some neighboring and distant countries, leading to an extension of the conflict and the commission of further atrocities.
The Sovereignty Council President stated that the signing of the Jeddah Declaration of Humanitarian Principles was a genuine and early opportunity to peacefully end the crisis, provided that the Rapid Support Forces commit to what was agreed upon. He added that it is beyond doubt that the Rapid Support Forces lacked any political will to stop their war against the state and citizens.
Al-Burhan emphasized that the door to peaceful solutions to the Sudanese crisis has not closed, welcoming every effort to stop bloodshed, and expressing a positive approach to all endeavors by IGAD, neighboring countries, and the Jeddah platform.
He stressed that the top priority for a peaceful solution to the Sudanese crisis is the commitment to the Jeddah Declaration of Humanitarian Principles, including the complete evacuation of civilian buildings and homes, a ceasefire, the concentration of support forces in agreed-upon areas, the removal of all obstacles to the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to all in need, followed by the launch of a comprehensive political process based on genuine national will to reach a national consensus on the management of the transitional period and the conduct of general elections.
Al-Burhan reiterated the necessity of protecting Sudan’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and its people, rejecting all foreign interventions in the country’s internal affairs.
He stated that the existence of a single national army monopolizing the use of military force is a matter that cannot be compromised or negotiated, as it is a fundamental guarantee of stability and peace, not only in Sudan but throughout the region.
He added that bearing arms and waging war against the state cannot be a means to obtain undeserved political privileges, and that access to power can only be achieved through elections.
In his speech at the summit, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, welcomed the efforts of the African Union and IGAD in establishing a framework for a comprehensive political process “to end this devastating conflict in Sudan.”
Dagalo presented his vision for resolving the crisis, emphasizing “a strong commitment to achieving a peaceful solution to the Sudanese crisis based on justice and sustainability,” expressing his readiness to participate in in-depth discussions on this vision after the summit.
“Exchange of Shelling”
On the ground, eyewitnesses reported that the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces exchanged artillery fire in the vicinity of the army’s command in eastern Khartoum and the armored forces in its south last Saturday.
The witnesses mentioned that thick columns of smoke have been rising from the neighborhoods surrounding the armored forces since morning. They also noted that intensive artillery shelling from the military area of Khartoum’s Karrari targeted several neighborhoods in the western part of the city, where the Rapid Support Forces are stationed.
They reported that clashes took place on the ground between the two sides in the center of Omdurman city.
The Rapid Support Forces have extended their control over large areas of the capital Khartoum, forcing the army to withdraw from Darfur and Kordofan. Since the end of October, the Rapid Support Forces have also taken control of the cities of Nyala in South Darfur, Zalingei in the central region, and El Geneina in the west, including military units and headquarters there.
Fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in April after weeks of tension between the two sides over plans to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the army, at a time when military and civilian parties were finalizing internationally supported political processes.
