Sudan conflict: Burhan says no benefit from talks in Saudi Arabia without reaching a ceasefire

 

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler of Sudan and the head of Sudan’s Armed Forces, said the talks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) do not have benefits without a ceasefire.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s remarks came on Monday. In an interview with the Al-Qahera News channel on Monday, the Sudanese Army’s Commander-in-Chief said it was necessary to evacuate the Rapid Support Forces from residential neighbourhoods and service facilities in Sudan. He made it a precondition for accepting the ceasefire.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan reportedly said, “We can discuss a settlement after we reach a permanent ceasefire in Khartoum. The situation is stable in all states except for Khartoum.”

He further revealed that the members of the paramilitary forces were “seeking shelter in civilian homes and in service centres.” He also reiterated the importance of finding a peaceful resolution to end the conflict in Sudan.

On April 15, fighting erupted between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary forces in the southern region of Khartoum in Sudan. The two parties accused each other of initiating the attack.

The United States (U.S.) and Saudi Arabia urged the two parties to end the conflict. "Pre-negotiation" talks between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began on Saturday in Saudi Arabia under the US-Saudi initiative. The Saudi Foreign Ministry lauded the efforts of the two Sudanese rivals in holding peace talks. The Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed hope to reach an effective short-term ceasefire.

The two Sudanese parties already said that they would only discuss a humanitarian truce and not the end of the war. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also vowed to kill Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese army has been ongoing in the Sudanese capital.