The government of the war-torn country claimed that the East African bloc’s wording ignored the army’s concerns
Sudan’s foreign ministry has rejected a communiqué by East African regional mediators that claimed army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had agreed to a ceasefire and political dialogue to end hostilities.
The landlocked nation has been embroiled in eight months of deadly fighting between rival factions, leaving more than 12,190 people dead and 6.6 million displaced, according to the UN.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African alliance mediating the conflict, announced on Sunday, following a summit in Djibouti the day before, that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) commander had committed to “an unconditional ceasefire.”
General Burhan also agreed to a “one-on-one meeting” with the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, IGAD said in a statement.
The paramilitary forces’ chief, General Dagalo, also accepted a proposal to resolve the conflict through talks with his rival, General Burhan, according to the bloc.
On Monday, Hemedti said the RSF supports the outcomes of the IGAD summit and is willing to cooperate to end the conflict. However, he added that acceptance of the proposed meeting was conditional on General Burhan not attending in his capacity as president of the transitional government.
However, the Sudanese foreign ministry declared on Sunday that it did not recognize the IGAD statement, citing inconsistencies and inaccuracies.