Sudan’s army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced that the military will not participate in talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Switzerland after a drone strike at a military graduation killed at least five people. Al-Burhan stated that the military will not negotiate, retreat, or surrender in the ongoing conflict with the RSF.
The RSF denied responsibility for the drone attack, attributing it to internal disputes among Islamists. The rejection of talks comes after RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo expressed the group’s willingness to participate. The talks, co-hosted by the United States and Saudi Arabia, were set to include observers from the UN, African Union, and Egypt, as well as the United Arab Emirates.
The conflict between the military and the RSF, which escalated into war in April 2023, has led to widespread displacement, hunger, and accusations of war crimes on both sides. Human Rights Watch has reported instances of sexual and gender-based violence in Khartoum, while the International Organization for Migration stated that nearly 10 million people in Sudan have been displaced due to the fighting.
Attempts at mediation, including previous talks in Saudi Arabia, have failed to bring a lasting resolution to the conflict. However, there is some optimism following recent negotiations in Geneva led by UN Secretary-General’s envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra. Despite the challenges, there remains hope for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
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