Sudan’s RSF arrives in Geneva for talks

The Rapid Support Forces yesterday announced that its delegation had arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva to participate in negotiations today in an effort to end the war in Sudan.

Since mid-April 2023, the army and the RSF have been fighting a war that has left about 18,800 dead and displaced nearly ten million Sudanese, according to the UN.

The RSF issued a statement saying that “the Rapid Support Forces delegation arrived in Geneva today, Tuesday, in response to the American invitation with the aim of reaching an end to hostilities across the country and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid.”

It added that this step came “in respect and appreciation for the sincere international and regional efforts and endeavours to address the Sudanese crisis exacerbated by the war, and to confirm our principled commitment to the values ​​of peace and dialogue.”

The RSF expressed its hopes for “constructive and fruitful talks that contribute to facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to all those affected by the war.”

The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – known as Hemedti, also expressed its  hope that the army leadership would respond to the call for negotiations.

The Sudanese Armed Forces have said they will not join the talks because two of their three demands have not been met. The first request, granted by the US negotiators, was to recognise the army, led by General Abdul Fatah Al-Burhan, as the legitimate government of Sudan. The second, which was not agreed, was to use, as a starting point, the agreement signed by the army and RSF on 11 May 2023 in Jeddah. The third objection, again dismissed by the negotiators, was to prevent the UAE from attending the peace talks as a by-stander. Sudan accuses the Emirates of directly fueling the conflict by supporting the RSF militarily and threatens to raise a case against the UAE at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

READ: Sudan army rejects Geneva peace talks, faces charge of being the ‘obstacle to peace’