Sudan: former PM invites army leaders to urgent meeting to discuss ending war

Sudan’s former Prime Minister and head of the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces, Abdalla Hamdok, called yesterday on the country’s army leaders to “attend an urgent meeting to consider ways to stop the war” raging in the country.

“We invited the leadership of the armed forces,” said Hamdok, who was ousted by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army in a joint coup in October 2021. “We expect, we hope they will respond to our invitation positively.”

This came a day after Hamdok’s first meeting with the commander of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the signing of a joint declaration in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The declaration is intended to serve as the basis for further negotiations and a political settlement in Sudan.

Hamdok said on Facebook that the most important outcome of his meetings with the RSF in Addis Ababa is the group’s full commitment “for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and guaranteeing measures to protect civilians, facilitating the return of citizens to their homes, and delivering humanitarian aid.”

According to the UN, the ongoing war between the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the RSF led by Dagalo, has killed more than 12,000 people and displaced more than six million others since April last year.

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