Sudanese paramilitary force backs ceasefire and talks

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid
Support Forces said it was open to a long-term ceasefire with
the army and presented its vision for a “Sudan Reborn”, an
initiative that could revive efforts to hold direct talks
between the warring parties.
The statement came as fighting between the RSF and the army
enters its 20th week with no side claiming victory while
millions have been driven from their homes in the capital and
other cities.
The United Nations has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe
of epic proportions”, with rising hunger, collapsing healthcare,
and wrecked infrastructure. The RSF and allied militias have
also been accused of ethnic cleansing in West Darfur.
The two sides blame each other for starting the war on April
15, after weeks of tension over the integration of their troops
into a single force as part of a transition to democracy.
The two sides led the country together since toppling Omar
al-Bashir in 2019 and pushing civilian politicians out of the
government in a coup in 2021.
In the statement released late on Sunday, RSF leader General
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo appeared willing to negotiate with the
army over the shape of the future Sudanese state, going beyond
the technicalities of a permanent ceasefire which have hindered
Saudi and U.S.-sponsored mediation efforts.
“Efforts to end the protracted crisis must be directed
toward achieving a lasting ceasefire, coupled with comprehensive
political solutions that address the root causes of Sudan’s
wars,” the statement said.
Under his “Sudan Reborn” plan, Dagalo committed the RSF to
previously floated principles such as federal, multicultural
rule, democratic elections, and a single army.
The statement came after army chief General Abdel Fattah
al-Burhan arrived on Sunday in Port Sudan on his first trip
outside the capital since fighting broke out. Government sources
say he will travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt for talks.
Pro-democracy politicians warned Burhan against announcing a
new government, saying it would prompt the RSF to form a
parallel authority.
Regional mediators have appeared to accept a future role for
soldiers in a transitional government.
But on Friday, the ambassador of the United States, one of
the main sponsors of the post-Bashir transition, wrote on X that
“the belligerents, who have demonstrated they are not fit to
govern, must end the conflict and transfer power to a civilian
transitional government”.