RSF says Jeddah talks to focus on ceasefire

October 25, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said negotiations to begin Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, would deal with a cessation of hostilities in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in war-affected areas.

The Sudanese army had previously said that the goal of the negotiations was to fully implement the Jeddah Declaration, which includes provisions for humanitarian assistance and the return of displaced people.

However, a member of the RSF negotiating delegation told Sudan Tribune under the cover of anonymity that the talks will not address the Jeddah Declaration on Humanitarian Aid, which was signed on May 11.

“This round will not discuss the previous agreement, but will discuss the cessation of hostilities in order to reach an agreement upon it,” the source said. “In particular, no humanitarian arrangements will take place unless there is a real and committed ceasefire agreement.”

The source also rejected the Sudanese army’s demand that RSF fighters be assembled at gathering sites 50 kilometres outside Khartoum.

“The roadmap that was put forward by the remnants (the army delegation) does not concern us in anything and we do not pay any attention to it,” the source said.

The Sudanese army negotiating team withdrew from the talks on May 31 after the RSF rejected the army’s demand that RSF fighters leave the cities.

In a speech to a meeting of the signatory movements of the peace agreement in Juba on Tuesday, Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Malik Agar said that the roadmap adopted by the Sudanese government includes four successive phases: the separation of forces, the humanitarian operation, addressing the immediate issue of war (the RSF integration), and ultimately the political process leading to establishment of a permanent Sudanese constitution and agreement on how to govern Sudan.

(ST)