U.S. welcomes SRF unilateral truce, urges reciprocity from Khartoum
October 21, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The United States has welcomed a declaration by the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front’s (SRF) of a six-month unilateral cessation of hostilities in Darfur region, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states and called on Khartoum to follow it by a similar announcement.
“The objectives of the Cessation of Hostilities are to protect civilians, provide unhindered humanitarian access to war-affected populations, and create a conducive environment for the peace process and an inclusive National Constitutional Dialogue,” they said.
The rebel groups further called on the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to hold an immediate meeting with the Sudanese government to negotiate the implementation of this measure.
The spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, John Kirby, on Wednesday welcomed the SRF decision and urged the Sudanese government “to build on its own stated commitment by also declaring a unilateral cessation of hostilities for the same time period and covering the same areas”.
“We encourage both the Government of Sudan and the SRF to work under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel to translate their cessation of hostilities declarations into a sustainable end to Sudan’s conflicts, initially by ensuring a cessation of hostilities is properly monitored by a neutral third party,” Kirby said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Last month, the Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir declared a two-month cessation of hostilities in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur. Later he expressed readiness to declare a permanent ceasefire given that rebels show desire for achieving peace.
The (AUHIP) has extended the invitation to the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) to resume talks in Addis Ababa on November 2nd to end the conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
Kirby pointed out that the cessation of hostilities would help facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Sudanese citizens affected by the conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile if it was respected by all parties.
“To that end, we call on both parties in conjunction with the UN to finalize the modalities by which humanitarian assistance will be delivered to people in need,” he added.
The American diplomat noted that “a true cessation of hostilities will contribute to a genuine dialogue to address the underlying causes of the armed conflicts that have plagued Sudan for far too long”.
He reiterated that there is no military solution to Sudan’s conflicts, pointing that “further fighting only increases the suffering of the Sudanese people”.
Kirby called on “all parties to the conflicts in Sudan to seize this opportunity to end the wars and begin a path towards lasting peace”.
The Sudanese army and its allied militias have been fighting SPLM-N rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.
(ST)