Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rejected an agreement signed between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and political groups and vowed to continue the nine-month-old war in a speech to troops on Friday.
“The whole Sudan and the whole world have seen the ugly and heinous crimes committed by the rebels and their collaborators in West Darfur state,” he said. “The whole world has testified that these rebel forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in West Darfur State and in all parts of Sudan.”
“Therefore, we do not have reconciliation with them. We don’t have an agreement with them.”
Burhan was speaking from Jabit infantry military base in eastern Sudan, which is considered one of the oldest military bases.
Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok had addressed the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, urging him to accept the request for a direct meeting with the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddum).
On Monday, Hamdok sent two written letters to the head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), asking them to hold an urgent meeting for the purpose of consulting on ways to stop the war through the peaceful and negotiated track.
Although the army informed Hamdok’s initiative of its initial approval of the meeting, according to sources in the Coordination of Civilian Groups, the vice president of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Malik Agar, hinted that they may not accept the invitation, criticizing the political declaration signed between TAQADAM and the RSF last Tuesday in Addis Ababa, which he considered an agreement between two partners.
