Sudanese military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday said the pre-negotiation talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) taking place in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah will have no benefit without a ceasefire, reported The BBC.
The clashes erupted between the two parties in the southern region of Khartoum on April 15. Both sides have accused each other of starting the attack, after failed negotiations on the integration of the paramilitary forces into the Sudanese army.
The United States and Saudi Arabia-backed talks between Sudan’s warring military factions started on Saturday. No progress has been reported on the talks so far.
During a telephonic interview with AlQahera News, Burhan said the Sudanese army can discuss a settlement only after a permanent ceasefire is reached in Khartoum. He warned that the war would spread to the rest of Sudan if a division happens in the capital Khartoum.
The Sudanese military leader stressed the necessity of evacuating the paramilitary forces from residential buildings and service facilities, making it a precondition for accepting the ceasefire with the RSF.
“We remain hopeful that a peaceful solution will bring an end to this situation,” he said.
Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly 450,000 civilians displaced since the fighting began. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 115,000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said it is pushing for a timetable for expanded negotiations to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities.
It added that the ongoing talks in Jeddah, which are set to continue in the following days, aim to reach an effective short-term ceasefire to the fighting, facilitating aid delivery and restoring basic humanitarian services in the affected regions of the North African country.
Saudi Arabia has already pledged to provide Sudan with $100 million’s worth of humanitarian aid. Notably, numerous ceasefires have been violated since the conflict erupted last month.
