War in Sudan: Regular army shuns mediation talks in Geneva, seeks African support

A delegation of paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, arrived in Geneva on Wednesday August 14, for talks on a ceasefire in Sudan. The regular Sudanese army, for its part, continues to sulk at these new negotiations, even though the United States seems determined to move forward.

“The talks have started,” a spokesman for the US mission in Geneva told the AFP news agency, adding that there was “no change” to the nonparticipation of the Sudanese army.

Actually, on the eve of the launch of these Geneva talks, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the regular army, cut short any hopes of a Sudanese government delegation taking part.

Speaking on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the armed forces, he reaffirmed that there will be no peace in Sudan in the presence of what he described as “rebel militia” in towns and villages. The road to peace in Sudan, he insisted, “begins with the implementation of the resolutions of the Jeddah Agreement.

In anticipation of the Geneva talks, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan sought support for his positions among African countries. His aim is to counter the American initiative, even if only symbolically. In the coming days and weeks, his diplomatic efforts will be directed at African countries to defend the army’s position.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attended last Sunday the inauguration ceremony of President Paul Kagame in Kigali where he took advantage of the presence of dozens of African heads of state and dignitaries to defend his positions.

Besides the United States, the Geneva talks are attended by representatives from Egypt, the United Nations, the African Union, the East African body IGAD (the Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the United Arab Emirates, which has repeatedly denied allegations it is providing weapons and other military support to the RSF.