Tagadum figure stresses RSF withdrawal from homes, calls for specific safeguarding measures

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – January 6, 2024 – A prominent leader in the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces (Tagadum) has reiterated the need for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to withdraw from civilians’ homes, emphasizing the importance of establishing specific arrangements to safeguard civilian protection.

Since the escalation of the ongoing conflict, the RSF has occupied thousands of homes in the capital, Khartoum, for diverse purposes, including weapon storage, missile launching platforms, makeshift hospitals, and detention centres.

The Sudanese army has mandated the withdrawal of RSF fighters as a precondition to any ceasefire agreement, stating that they should be assembled in cantonment sites outside urban areas.

Reacting to the absence of explicit provisions pertaining to the RSF’s withdrawal from homes within the Addis Ababa Declaration, Arman asserted, “The RSF’s intrusion into people’s homes is deplorable and unacceptable. However, this issue should not be isolated and should not be exploited for political propaganda.”

The withdrawal must be integrated within a comprehensive framework of measures to halt the war, including forces separating the warring parties and putting an end to aerial bombardments of these homes.

“We must complete the cessation of hostilities between Burhan and Hemetti and promote peace and respect to proceed towards ending this war and alleviating the people’s suffering,” he added in statements to Al-Jazeera TV.

Arman called upon the Sudanese belligerents to set aside animosity and refrain from engaging in propaganda that could exacerbate tensions between the two sides.

On January 2, the pro-democracy civil forces signed the Addis Ababa Declaration with the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces. The declaration reflected the RSF’s readiness to participate in immediate and unconditional cease-fire negotiations with the armed forces, with a commitment to reaching a binding ceasefire agreement under national and international oversight.

However, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, rejected the Addis Ababa Declaration, deeming it unacceptable. Despite this rejection, al-Burhan expressed his openness to dialogue with political forces and invited them to convene in Port Sudan, the administrative capital.

(ST)