Sudan army chief refuses to meet RSF leader

Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, refuses to meet rival commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, “under the current circumstances”, a government official said yesterday.

This comes after Kenyan President William Ruto proposed to hold a face to face meeting between the two parties.

“Kenya is committed to bringing together the two Sudanese generals in a face-to-face meeting to find a permanent solution to the crisis,” Ruto said, according to a draft statement of the IGAD meeting released by his office.

The statement said a “face-to-face meeting” would be held “in one of the regional capitals.”

There was no comment from the RSF on the statement.

READ: Sudan rivals resume ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia

The two military commanders have not met since the outbreak of battles between them on 15 April.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) the conflict has displaced about two million people, including more than 476,000 people who have crossed into neighbouring countries.

According to the United Nations, 25 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population, need assistance and protection.

Sudan: Fighting erupts in Khartoum between the army and paramilitary force – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]