Sudan’s paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces(RSF), has rejected the ceasefire proposal presented by the Vice President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council which would include preparation for a national dialogue leading to another transitional phase.
Youssef Ezzat, the political advisor to the commander of the RSF, said during a TV interview that the authority of Malik Agar is not recognized, stressing that the militia is committed to the Jeddah talks and the US-Saudi initiative.
Agar announced a road map based on an immediate ceasefire and preparation for a comprehensive dialogue that paves the way for a transitional phase under the supervision of the executive authority in order to get out of the crisis from which Sudan is suffering. He added that the road map is a first step that will lead to democratic elections in the country, producing a comprehensive political process that includes all political forces aiming to establish a stable Sudanese state.
The Transitional Council official stressed that the reasons for the fighting declared by the RSF are overshadowed by a series of crimes and violations. He called on the militia to look responsibly at the developments ravaging the country.
He also apologised to the Sudanese people for “failing to establish the state,” affirming his commitment to making every effort to stop the war. He said that the RSF must be aware that there cannot be two armies in one country. The priorities of the coming period, added Agar, begin with the implementation of the road map, an end to the fighting, the delivery of aid, communication with all parties, and the prevention of the fighting spreading to the rest of Sudan.
The Sudanese army and the RSF have exchanged missile strikes in the centre of Omdurman over the past few days, after fierce fighting in the city.
In the Blue Nile state, meanwhile, the army announced the restoration of its control over all the areas that were taken by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North, whose forces are led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu.
“The rebels of the SPLM-N led by Joseph Tuka [vice chairman of the movement],” explained army spokesman Nabil Abdullah, “thought that the army’s preoccupation with fighting the RSF would allow them to attack and control several areas in the Blue Nile state.”
The UN has said that the death toll in Sudan now exceeds 3,000, most of them civilians, in addition to more than six million who are on the brink of starvation, since the outbreak of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in April.
