Sudan’s civilian forces secures al-Burhan’s approval for talks on ending war
January 16, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The Civil Democratic Forces Coordination (Tagadum) has confirmed that it has received the approval of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to hold a meeting with the coalition to discuss ways to cease hostilities.
This confirmation follows the announcement by Sovereign Council Vice Chairman Malik Agar yesterday, Monday, of the Sudanese government’s willingness to meet with the Tagadum coalition in the coming days.
In late December, the coalition leader Abdallah Hamdok revealed that a letter had been sent to Army Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemetti, requesting a meeting with civil forces to discuss ending the war that has been raging since mid-April 2023.
Following a meeting between Hamdok and coalition leaders with Hemetti in Addis Ababa in early January, Hamdok reiterated his appeal to al-Burhan on January 4, urging him to accept the request for a direct meeting with the coordination.
According to a prominent leader in the Coordination, al-Burhan’s approval was received by the coalition yesterday, Sunday, although the time and location of the meeting have not been specified. He anticipated that the meeting with al-Burhan would take place in Juba.
Agar stated to Al Jazeera TV on Monday, “The Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces requested a meeting with al-Burhan, and the request was discussed in official government meetings. The Commander-in-Chief of the Army responded to Tagadum.”
Agar added that the Sudanese government would meet with the Coordination as it meets with all Sudanese political components, emphasizing that they are engaging with all components and not just one group.
He continued, “We are open to all political initiatives, components, and parties, whether blocs or parties and nothing is preventing that.”
He underscored that no date had been set for the meeting between al-Burhan and Hamdok. He pointed out that they responded to the Coordination’s letter which simply asked, “Is it possible to meet the Chairman of the Sovereign Council and the Army Commander-in-Chief?”
Tagadum signed an agreement with the RSF leader on January 1 to cease hostilities without conditions and alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing conflict.
On November 29, the coalition adopted a roadmap to end the war and establish democratic civil rule through a negotiated political solution, signed by the armed forces, the RSF, and all civilian forces except the dissolved National Congress Party, the Islamic Movement, and its different façades.
(ST)