Minnawi withdraws troops from Khartoum to North Darfur

May 8, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Minni Minnawi, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM), has withdrawn his forces from Khartoum and relocated them to North Darfur, after 23 days of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The withdrawal from Khartoum followed unsuccessful joint efforts by the signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement to mediate between the army and the RSF to end the fighting between the two parties.

In a statement released on Monday, the SLM-MM said that the decision to leave Khartoum was made after Minnawi and his colleagues failed to stop the “absurd war” and to hold an inter-Sudanese dialogue to resolve all national issues.

“I will not support any of the parties to the conflict,” said Minnawi, according to the statement. He emphasized that he did not “sign the peace agreement to participate in another war but for the sake of peace.”

The SLM-MM leader pledged to continue his efforts with other Democratic Bloc leaders to end this “damned war”.

Minnawi left Khartoum with 300 heavily armed military vehicles that had been stationed in northern Omdurman to protect the SLM-MM leaders after signing the peace agreement.

The redeployment of Minnawi’s forces in Darfur comes at a time when the region is witnessing intercommunal clashes and severe tension between different tribal components.

On April 27, five groups that signed the Juba Peace Agreement deployed their fighters to secure El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, following the outbreak of fighting between the army and paramilitary forces on April 15.

(ST)