Sudan paramiliary chief commits to ceasefire amid continued fighting

By Linda Bordoni

Sudanese paramilitary leader General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo says he is committed to a cease-fire to end the devastating war that has wrecked his country.

However, fighting continues and there has been no progress on proposed peace talks between Dagalo and Sudan’s military leader, General Abdel Fattah Burahn, who have been locked in a power struggle since April that has resulted in brutal conflict, the death of over 12,000 people, millions of displaced persons, and a humanitarian catastrophe.

General Dagalo gave voice to his commitment to start a peace process following a meeting in South Africa on Thursday, 4 January, during which he reportedly briefed the President on the "considerable efforts taken to end this war."

He emphasized an unwavering commitment – on the part of the paramilitary Rapid Relief Forces (RSF) he heads, but didn't say if or when he would meet with Burhan.

According to the East African regional bloc IGAD, the warring generals agreed last month to a face-to-face meeting and to start talks over a possible cease-fire, but no date or location for the talks have been announced.

Appeals for peace 

Pope Francis has repeatedly called for dialogue and a mediated solution to the conflict and during his Urbi et Orbi blessing on Christmas day, he appealed to the world not to forget the suffering of the people in Sudan.

At the end of December, the country’s Catholic Bishops issued a collective appeal to the international community to intensify efforts to end the violence in the country. They also voiced concern that the protracted fighting may aim to block solidarity between the people of Sudan, thus playing into political interests.

Diplomacy?

Dagalo, meanwhile, is on a tour of African countries. Before travelling to South Africa, he met with authorities in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Hopes were high for an agreement he signed in Ethiopia – the Addis Ababa Declaration – with the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces (Taqaddum) that outlines provisions for protecting civilians and facilitating humanitarian access.

The Declaration also mandates unconditional direct negotiations between the RSF and the Sudanese army, but it was brushed off by Sudan’s Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council who described the accord as a “non-starter” due to an alleged alliance between Taqaddum and the RSF.

General Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

Analysts have expressed concern the General may be attempting to secure regional support to capture all of Sudan from the army to be able to dictate the terms of a potential agreement.

Humanitarian catastrophe

The people of Sudan, meanwhile continue to die and to be displaced. It is feared the official death toll of 12,000 may be higher while over 7 million people have been forced to leave their homes.

Despite talks of a cease-fire, fighting has intensified; just in December, more than 500,000 people were forced to flee Jazeera province which had become a safe haven for civilians after the RSF attacked and took its capital, Wad Medani.

All this amid reports of horrific abuses and war crimes perpetrated by both sides throughout the nine-month conflict.

The United Nations has warned that nearly 25 million people across Sudan will need humanitarian assistance in 2024, but UN Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths noted that "the bleak reality is that intensifying hostilities are putting most of them beyond our reach."

In a post on X on Thursday, Griffiths said, “Nearly 9 months of war have tipped #Sudan into a downward spiral that only grows more ruinous by the day.  2024 demands that the international community – particularly those with influence on parties to the conflict – take action now.” (Source AP and other News Agencies)

A displaced girl in Sudan's Jazira state fetches water at a temporary shelter in Gedaref in the east of the country