(Reuters) – Sudanese military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met with his Egyptian counterpart on Tuesday, marking his first trip abroad since the war broke out in Sudan in April. This meeting took place a day after al-Burhan rejected calls for fresh negotiations. The main topic of discussion was Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s offer to mediate the conflict. Al-Burhan expressed his appreciation for this initiative, as stated in an Egyptian presidency statement.
On Monday, al-Burhan declared that the regular army, under his leadership, would defeat the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and refuse to sign any agreement with them. This statement dashed hopes for new talks to resolve the ongoing war, which has resulted in multiple humanitarian crises in Sudan.
This visit is significant since it represents al-Burhan’s first departure from Sudan since the conflict began on April 15. The war erupted due to disagreements over plans to integrate the troops of both countries into a single force as part of the transition to democracy. Al-Burhan is also expected to visit Saudi Arabia, as both the United States and Saudi Arabia have previously held meetings with the conflicting parties, resulting in violated ceasefire agreements.
During his brief comments in El Alamein, al-Burhan expressed his desire to end the war, but did not mention the possibility of negotiations. He urged the world to take an unbiased and accurate perspective on the war, emphasizing that it was initiated by a group seeking to seize power, committing various crimes in the process.
The RSF has faced accusations of looting homes, sexually assaulting numerous women, and engaging in ethnic warfare that resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of El Geneina residents in West Darfur. While the RSF denied these allegations, they asserted that any of their fighters found involved in misconduct would be held accountable through the legal system.
However, two Egyptian security sources noted that the RSF seemed hesitant to take further steps despite expressing their acceptance of the Egyptian initiative, including a call for a ceasefire lasting several months.
According to a Western diplomat, al-Burhan currently enjoys a public relations advantage. Although Western nations view both sides of the conflict as aggressors, al-Burhan’s appearances outside of Khartoum contribute to bolstering his status.
Both the regular army and RSF have been accused of engaging in combat within residential areas and indiscriminately using heavy weapons. This has led to the deaths of numerous civilians in the capital and other major cities. Both sides deny these allegations, instead accusing each other of targeting civilians.
In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and one of Sudan’s most populous cities, the ongoing fighting has resulted in the disruption of telephone networks, electricity, and humanitarian aid for weeks. Tens of thousands of residents are currently trapped in the city.
One incident, documented by medical aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and local residents, involved about two dozen people, including multiple members of different families, who died while hiding under a bridge on August 23 due to crossfire.
(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz in Dubai and Nafisa Eltahir and Mohamed Waly in Cairo; additional reporting by Maggie Michael; writing by Clauda Tanios and Nafisa Eltahir; editing by Jacqueline Wong, Andrew Heavens, and Mark Heinrich)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
