After U.S. President Joe Biden called on warring parties to resume talks, Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declared they are open to peaceful solutions to a war that has been raging for almost 17 months.
The Sudanese government is still open to any positive initiatives aimed at putting an end to the conflict, according to Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who made this announcement on Wednesday. RSF Leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo then expressed a similar opinion early on Thursday.
“We reiterate that we are committed to holding ceasefire talks. We will keep working toward peace processes to ensure that all Sudanese people live in a future free from fear and suffering because we think that discourse, not senseless bloodshed, is the way to bring about peace,” Dagalo stated on X.
Nonetheless, both men accused one another of abuses and shared guilt for the inability to put a stop to a conflict that has claimed the lives of over 12,000 people since it began in April 2023. They haven’t provided a detailed plan for arriving at a peaceful resolution.
Competition between the army and the RSF, which had previously shared power following a coup, erupted into open battle and marked the start of the conflict.
Last month, U.S.-led mediators said that while they had obtained assurances from both sides during discussions in Switzerland to enhance access for humanitarian aid, the progress had been impeded by the Sudanese army’s absence from the talks.
“We are prepared to collaborate with any foreign partners in the search for a peaceful outcome that lessens the suffering of people and sets Sudan on a path towards security, stability, the rule of law, and the democratic transfer of power,” Burhan, the army chief, said in a statement.
(Reuters)
