The Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, confirmed on Tuesday evening that the path to peace in his country is clear and begins with implementing what was agreed upon between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces during the talks that took place in the Saudi city of Jeddah in May 2023.
Al-Burhan said in a speech on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Sudanese army that the anniversary “passes while members of the armed forces continue to make great sacrifices to preserve the unity and entity of the Sudanese state and to thwart the greatest conspiracy that our country has faced in its history.”
The Sudanese army commander stressed in his speech that “there is no compromise or truce regarding the people's legitimate rights to restore security and stability and eliminate this treacherous aggression, no matter how great the sacrifices.”
He added, “We will work tirelessly to celebrate the upcoming holiday of your armed forces, and our country has been cleansed of the filth of the militia.”
He stressed that there would be no cessation of military operations by the army without the withdrawal and exit of the last element of the Rapid Support Forces from the cities and villages “which they have plundered and colonized their people.”
The Jeddah Agreement stipulated the commitment of the two warring parties in Sudan to refrain from any military attack that might cause harm to civilians, while emphasizing the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian and human rights law.
On July 23, the US State Department called on the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces to participate in new peace talks in Geneva on August 14 to discuss ways to achieve a ceasefire.
While the Rapid Support Forces announced the arrival of its delegation to Geneva to participate in these talks, the Sudanese government negotiating delegation that held consultative meetings with the US administration announced that it would not participate in the Geneva negotiations.
Since mid-April 2023, the army has been fighting a war against the Rapid Support Forces that has left about 19,000 dead and nearly 10 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations.