Israel offers to host Sudan’s warring generals for reconciliation talks

Israel has offered to host Sudan’s warring generals for reconciliation talks, Axios reported on Monday. The Israeli proposal was presented to Sudanese Army chief and de facto leader of the country General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known simply as Hemedti, although details have not been made public

Since fighting broke out between the warring factions in Sudan ten days ago, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Ronen Levy, the director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, have apparently been sending messages and directly speaking to Al-Burhan and Hemedti.

“Israel has been working through different channels in order to reach a ceasefire,” explained Cohen. “The progress we have made with the two parties is very encouraging. If there will be a way that Israel could help in stopping the war and the violence in Sudan we will be very happy to do it.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday that a 72-hour ceasefire was reached between the two generals “following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours.” He added that the US will coordinate with regional and international partners and Sudanese civilian stakeholders to create a committee to “oversee the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan.”

The fighting in Sudan erupted as growing tension between Al-Burhan and Hemedti boiled over. In October 2021, they led a military coup against President Omar Al-Bashir, and promised a democratic transition of power to an elected civilian government. However, disagreements between the two generals soon showed, particularly after the military, the RSF and a coalition of civilian parties signed a preliminary political deal last December in which the military agreed to hand over power.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands have been injured in the recent fighting. Some parts of the country are suffering a humanitarian crisis that the UN has in recent days called “catastrophic”.

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