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Sudanese army suspends ceasefire negotiations with RSF. Photos/Illustrations
KHARTOUM – A diplomatic source Sudan said the Sudanese army was suspending talks ceasefire and access assistance with the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF). This condition increases fears that the six weeks of conflict will push Africa’s third largest country deeper into a humanitarian crisis.
Negotiations with the RSF, which began in early May, have resulted in a declaration of commitment to protect civilians and two short-term cease-fire agreements, despite repeated breaches of these agreements.
Residents had reported intense clashes in south Khartoum and in Omdurman across the Nile until Tuesday evening.
The Army, which relies on air and artillery power, and the RSF, a lighter armed force but a formidable adversary in Khartoum’s street fighting, have agreed to extend the ceasefire deal by a week for five days before ending on Monday.
Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a career military officer, and RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a former commander of the militia known as Hemedti, have been locked in a battle for power since April 15. It seems neither side has the advantage.
“We don’t want to use lethal force. We still haven’t used our full strength. We don’t want to destroy the country,” Burhan said in a military video released on Tuesday, addressing cheering troops at the military base with guns slung over his back.
“But if the enemy disobeys and does not respond, we are forced to use the strongest force we have,” he said as quoted by Al Arabiya, Thursday (1/6/2023).
In a statement late on Tuesday, RSF said it was committed to a ceasefire despite repeated violations by the army.
Sudan has a history of political upheaval, coups and conflict, but violence usually engulfs areas far from Khartoum. This time, the fighting is centered on the capital, an urban area at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers and home to millions of people.
