The Sudanese Army expressed this Thursday its “categorical refusal to enter into negotiations” with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), after a 24-hour truce period that would allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the African country. . .
“The entry into force of the truce for humanitarian reasons has nothing to do with the categorical refusal to enter into negotiations with the rebels,” the Armed Forces said in a statement.
The Army indicated that “there are no negotiations” because the outcome of the fighting will determine “the surrender or total destruction” of the RSF paramilitary group, headed by Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as “Hemedti.”
The Armed Forces recalled that “there is no force outside the military system”, and warned that “there is no return to the chaos” caused by “Hemedti”, which they described as as “the leader of the rebellion”.
The Army initially conditioned the negotiations with the paramilitaries on the dissolution of the RSF, a group that has already been dissolved by the Armed Forces and labeled a “rebel militia.” However, the doors of dialogue had not been closed until today.
This refusal by the government military to negotiate comes on the sixth day of clashes with the RSF, clashes that, according to the World Health Organization, have caused the death of more than 330 civilians and 3,200 wounded since Saturday.
“Hemedti” indicated, on the other hand, that he is not willing to negotiate with the leader of the Sudanese Army, General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, whom he has described on several occasions as a “radical Islamist” and has promised to defeat him and bring him before justice, otherwise “he will die like a dog”.
The fighting continued this Thursday between the Army and the RSF in Khartoum and other regions of Sudan, despite the fact that both parties announced a 24-hour truce and several warnings were issued about the humanitarian and health situation of the population.
The forces accused each other of violating the temporary ceasefire, which has not been respected since it entered into force on Wednesday night, just as they did not adhere to a truce proposed by the United States of America the day before.
The clashes broke out on Saturday amid talks on army reform and the integration of the RSF into the army, as part of a political process to return Sudan to a democratic path following the 2021 coup carried out jointly by Al-Burhan and “Hemedti”. “.
According to Sudanese media, the fighting is centered around the Armed Forces Command, a complex of strategic buildings in the center of the Sudanese capital, which houses the air and sea forces.
Gunshots and sounds of explosions were also heard continuously near the Presidential Palace in Khartoum and in other districts of the city, which has been overrun by military jets several times since early morning, according to local sources.
“Despite the truce declared since last night, the coup forces attacked the RSF stationed in western Om Durman this morning,” the paramilitary group said in a statement.
“But our forces responded to the attack and inflicted heavy losses on the coup plotters in terms of lives and equipment, including the crash of two helicopters,” says RSF, without the armed forces reacting to the information.
The Sudanese Army and RSF announced this Wednesday, for the second consecutive day, a new 24-hour truce, which ends this Thursday afternoon, although it has not been respected.
The fighting further complicated the humanitarian and health situation in the country. The Sudanese Doctors Union said Thursday that 70% of hospitals in Khartoum and conflict-ridden states are out of service.
Source: TSF
