Uncertainty surrounds meeting between Sudan’s army, RSF Chiefs

December 26, 2023 (PORT SUDAN) – Conflicting reports continue to surface regarding a proposed meeting between the leaders of Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), scheduled for this week at the invitation of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The meeting aims to discuss a ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian aid delivery to the conflict-ridden nation.

A senior official from Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cast doubt on the meeting’s immediate feasibility, stating that arrangements for the direct encounter between Army Commander in Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo Hemetti are yet to be finalized.

The official noted, “To my knowledge, the arrangements for the meeting have not been completed yet.”

This statement contradicts earlier reports from Al-Sharq Channel, which claimed that al-Burhan and Hemetti received a letter from the IGAD Chairman inviting them to meet in Djibouti on December 28th.

Former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, in his role as head of the Civil Democratic Forces Coordination, also has extended an invitation for the two belligerents for the meeting with him to convene urgently to discuss ways to end the conflict.

Regional and international actors, including the United States, have recently intensified pressure on the warring parties to hold the meeting and initiate a political process to resolve the Sudanese crisis.

Sources close to the matter have indicated that the Djibouti meeting will indeed take place on December 28, attributing the discrepancy in reports to the lack of communication between the IGAD Chairman and the Sudanese Foreign Ministry.

In response to Hamdok’s invitation, Hemetti on Tuesday affirmed his readiness to participate in the proposed meeting and expressed his commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“We extend our hands and welcome every national effort that brings peace and ends the suffering caused by war,” he said in a post on X.

Officials from the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) expressed optimism that the IGAD-facilitated meeting would pave the way for a ceasefire.

FFC leadership member and spokesman for the Sudanese Alliance Party Shihab al-Tayeb acknowledged the internal pressures stemming from the ongoing conflict and the failure of either side to achieve victory. He suggested that these factors, coupled with international pressure, could compel the parties to meet and agree to a ceasefire.

However, he emphasized that achieving a lasting peace requires isolating and limiting the role of leaders from the Islamic Movement and their affiliated groups, who are fuelling the conflict.

Sharif Mohamed Osman, Political Secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party, highlighted the anticipated meeting as a crucial opportunity to halt hostilities, allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians, and create safe havens for displaced people.

He affirmed that the meeting could serve as a stepping stone towards meaningful political dialogue aimed at resolving the root causes of the conflict and establishing a unified, professional national army that serves as a protector of the people, not a source of violence.

(ST)