Following the arrival of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as “Hamidti,” in the capital of Djibouti today, Sunday, for a meeting with the President of the current term of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to discuss developments in Sudan, the Sudanese Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces, “Tajdeed,” announced that a delegation led by former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok will meet with a delegation from the RSF led by its commander on Monday, in Ethiopia.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the coordination stated that this meeting comes in response to the letters sent by the coordination to Hamidti and Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The coordination called on both parties to hold urgent meetings to discuss issues related to the protection of civilians, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and ways to stop the war through peaceful negotiations.
The statement further added that communication is ongoing with the army leadership to determine the time and place of the meeting between “Tajdeed” and the Sudanese Armed Forces.
They hope that these meetings will lead to practical steps to end the suffering of the Sudanese people and contribute to a peaceful solution to the catastrophe of the April 15 war, in coordination with regional and international efforts, especially those of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union, and the Jeddah Dialogue Forum.
This comes after Hamdok announced last Monday that he had urgently requested a meeting with al-Burhan and Hamidti to consult on ways to stop the war. This was conveyed in two written letters on behalf of the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces, and the RSF leader welcomed the meeting.
It is worth noting that IGAD had announced the postponement of the meeting between al-Burhan and Hamidti to January on a specific date that will be announced later for technical reasons. They also informed the Sudanese Army Commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, of Hamidti’s apology for attending the Djibouti meeting.
The conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in April last year after weeks of tension between the two sides over disagreements regarding plans to integrate the RSF into the army. This happened while military and civilian parties were finalizing an internationally-backed political process.
The conflict resulted in the death of approximately 10,000 people and the displacement of about seven million internally, according to the United Nations. Additionally, around 1.5 million people fled to neighboring countries to escape the war.
