Sudan’s army chief rejects negotiations with rival RSF

The Commander in Chief of the Sudanese armed forces Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Friday (Jan. 05) he wouldn't accepte to negotiate with the Rapid Support Forces.

al-Burhan cited war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the RSF of General Mohamad Hamdan Daglo.

Speaking to soldiers in the Red Sea state (eastern Sudan) the head of the Sudanese armed forces asserted that the RSF perpetrated crimes "in West Darfur and across Sudan".

He said they made any reconciliation or deal with the RSF unacceptable.

This comes as the warring generals agreed last month to a face-to-face meeting and to start talks over a possible cease-fire, according to the East African regional bloc IGAD.

RSF commander Hamdan Daglo spent the first months of the war in the shadows but was active on social media. 

He embarked on an east Africa tour lately. On Friday (Jan. 05), he was in Kigali, Rwanda.

During his trips, he has claimed to being committed to cease hostilities in Sudan and cited "challenges arising from the reluctance of the opposing force and their intentional efforts to prolong this conflict."

9 months of war between Sudan top generals have brought destruction upon the nation and killed over 12,000 people.

The U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said in a statement Thursday (Jan. 04) that nearly 25 million people across Sudan will need humanitarian assistance in 2024 "but the bleak reality is that intensifying hostilities are putting most of them beyond our reach."