In a statement released on Wednesday, the Sudanese Army emphasized that resuming negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Jeddah on Thursday does not signify a halt to the National Dignity Battle. They added that “eliminating the rebels and repelling them” remains the goal of the Sudanese people, and the armed forces are committed to putting the country on the right path. The Sovereignty Council of Sudan presented a “four-stage roadmap to end the current war.”
On Thursday, negotiations between the conflicting parties in Sudan, the Army and RSF, will resume in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Meanwhile, battles continue in the capital, Khartoum, and Nyala in South Darfur.
The Sudanese Army expressed hope that the RSF would adhere to the previously agreed-upon terms this time.
In response to an invitation from Saudi Arabia and the United States to resume negotiations, the RSF announced the arrival of its negotiating delegation in Jeddah. They stated, “We hope the other party’s delegation has come to Jeddah unified and independent in its opinions, free from the dictates of the National Congress Party (the former ruling party under President Omar al-Bashir). We also hope they have the necessary authorization to speak on behalf of the armed forces.”
During the upcoming negotiations, the mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States aim to achieve a permanent ceasefire and end hostilities throughout Sudan.
Last Sunday, Shams al-Din al-Kabbashi, the Deputy Commander of the Sudanese Army, announced that the Army’s delegation would go to Jeddah to resume negotiations.
The previous round of negotiations collapsed in June last year when the Army’s delegation withdrew from the talks, citing the RSF’s refusal to vacate residential homes and public institutions. The RSF, in turn, accused the Army of attempting to undermine the Jeddah platform and resorting to a military solution.
Simultaneously, Malik Agar, the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, revealed that the government has proposed a roadmap to end the current war in four stages. These stages involve separating the forces, humanitarian efforts, addressing the issue of the war by integrating the RSF and creating a unified army, concluding with a political process that agrees on a constitution to govern the country.
According to Al-Sovereign, Agar mentioned that current initiatives to address the war are numerous and conflicting, with four inconsistent and competitive initiatives, each with different agendas and objectives.
The ongoing conflict in the country is described as a settler war, with involvement from foreign forces pursuing cross-border agendas, including territorial ambitions of some nations.
The Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council warned of the imminent threat the war in Sudan poses to the Horn of Africa region, neighboring countries, and the nations along the Red Sea coast.
Agar criticized the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) for garnering international support through an initiative based on the Framework Agreement. He claimed that this initiative contained contradictions and ambitions of this group and some countries, deepening internal divisions between political and civil blocs, leading to the current armed conflict.
In May of the previous year, the warring parties in Sudan, the Army and the RSF, signed the Jeddah Principles Agreement to protect civilians and humanitarian arrangements but failed to adhere to it, prompting mediation to suspend negotiations. The Jeddah Agreement stressed the commitment to Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, as well as ensuring the protection of Sudanese civilians at all times and allowing for their safe passage out of conflict zones in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.
According to the United Nations, the conflict has resulted in 9,000 deaths and the displacement of over 6 million people since fighting broke out between the Army and the RSF in April last year.
