Amid the exchange of accusations between the Sudanese army forces and the Rapid Support Forces of violating the armistice, the army commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, reaffirmed the commitment of the armed forces to the political process that leads to civilian authority. He said in a statement today (Saturday): The army will not be a lever for any entity, party or group to seize power.
And despite the denials of the two parties to the war of accepting negotiations, the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Peretz, revealed that the two parties to the conflict are open to dialogue. Peretz said today that the two sides had nominated envoys for upcoming negotiations outside Sudan, pointing out that there is no timetable for these talks.
The Sudanese army has repeatedly declared its refusal to negotiate with the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and stressed that it “does not negotiate with the rebels in southern Sudan or another country at the present time.” The Army General Command said that the President of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, agreed to an initiative put forward by the IGAD organization to extend the truce in Sudan for an additional 72 hours, while the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, put forward a proposal for dialogue between Al-Burhan and Hamidti.
For his part, the Sudanese army spokesman said that an initiative put forward by IGAD (the Inter-Governmental Organization for East African Development Summit) resulted in extending the current truce to an additional 72 hours. He disclosed that Al-Burhan agreed in principle to dispatch one representative from the armed forces and from the Rapid Support Forces to Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, for the purpose of negotiating the details of the IGAD initiative.
