Sudan’s Burhan rejects peace talks, demands rapid security forces withdrawal

August 13, 2024 (Port Sudan) – Sudanese Army Chief Abdel Fattah Burhan on Wednesday ruled out a ceasefire until the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) withdraw from occupied cities and refused to participate in US-backed peace talks scheduled to begin in Geneva.

Burhan reiterated his stance in an Army Day speech hours before US-brokered talks began in Switzerland.

“The military operation will not stop until the last militia withdraws from the cities and villages they have invaded and colonized,” Burhan said.

He also rejected calls for peace, stating that “there can be no peace as long as the rebels occupy our homeland.”

Tom Perillo, the US envoy to Sudan, confirmed on Twitter that the Sudanese army refused to attend the Geneva talks. But he stressed that the US is working to end the conflict and noted that the RSF is committed to negotiations.

Recently, consultations between Sudan and the United States in Saudi Arabia failed to ensure the participation of Sudanese troops in the Geneva talks. The Sudanese government insisted on implementing the previous agreement signed with Sudanese security forces in Jeddah in May last year.

Burhan stressed that the path to peace lies in abiding by the Jeddah Agreement, which calls for the protection of civilians and safe passage through conflict zones. Both sides accuse the other of violating the agreement.

The conflict between the army and the RSF that broke out in April 2023 has resulted in massive death and displacement, affecting millions of people.

Burhan further said the Rapid Support Forces’ actions were part of a wider “treacherous aggression” backed by foreign powers and “mercenary political groups,” referring to the coalition of civilian forces led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Burhan vowed to keep fighting, saying: “We will work tirelessly so that by the next Army Day there will be no more militias in our country.”

The Jeddah Agreement, signed in May 2023, calls for the protection of civilians and safe passage for people fleeing conflict areas. However, both sides have accused the other of violating those terms.

The war in Sudan began to spread on April 15, from the capital Khartoum to Darfur, Kordofan and other regions, triggering a humanitarian crisis, displacing millions of people and causing severe shortages of food and medical supplies.