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July 11, 2024 (New York/Atbara) – The United Nations has confirmed that delegations from the warring Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have arrived in Geneva for indirect discussions aimed at promoting humanitarian aid and civilian protection. However, Sudanese army leaders reiterated that they refuse to negotiate until the Rapid Support Forces withdraw from the occupied towns, casting a shadow over the UN-led initiative.
The UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, invited delegations to the talks, which began on July 11, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General. However, one delegation failed to attend the first meeting. Lamamra then reiterated his invitation to both sides to meet on Friday.
“We urge the Sudanese delegation to rise to the challenge and engage in constructive discussions with the Personal Envoy in the interest of the Sudanese people,” Dujarric said, but he declined to say which side abstained from the first meeting.
The UN effort stems from a 26 June letter in which Ramallah invited the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Security Forces to discuss measures to ensure humanitarian access and civilian protection, including a potential local ceasefire under a Security Council mandate.
Burhan calls for rapid security forces withdrawal
Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan reiterated on Thursday that negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the delivery of humanitarian aid are conditional on their withdrawal from occupied homes and states.
Addressing a crowd in Atbara, in River Nile state, Burhan declared: “Neither in Jeddah nor in Switzerland, there will be no negotiations. Negotiations will begin only after the Rapid Support Forces withdraw from their homes and states.”
He stressed that the war concerns all Sudanese people, not just the army, and stressed that victory over the Rapid Support Forces is imminent.
“We will soon be victorious and crush the enemy. This battle will end with the defeat of the insurgents, their allies and those who question the people’s struggle for freedom from oppression,” he said.
Burhan spoke of no longer tolerating criminal acts by the Rapid Security Forces and said: “The end of the battle will end with the rebels being crushed and destroyed.”
He revealed that they had established a Popular Resistance and Mobilization Committee and expressed their readiness to establish military brigades in areas where the people needed them, with the army providing leadership and weapons.
The negotiations have reached a deadlock, Sudan’s dire humanitarian situation has further deteriorated, and millions of people are in urgent need of assistance. The international community calls on both sides to put the well-being of the Sudanese people first, engage in meaningful dialogue, resolve the conflict and alleviate the suffering of civilians.
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