Sudanese army rejects talks with RSF, vows to fight on for “true peace”
June 16, 2024 (OMDURMAN) – Yasir al-Atta, Sudanese Army’s Assistant Commander-in-Chief stated that peace will only be achieved through the defeat of the Rapid Support Forces, and reiterated their negotiations for any settlement their preserve the paramilitary group.
Al-Atta who leads the military operations in Khartoum told his troops on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha to pay no heed to the media reports and rumours about the resumption of negations stressing that and proposition to return to the negotiating table is met with absolute rejection.
“True peace will be achieved through the defeat and surrender of the Janjaweed, the return of foreign Arabs to their countries of origin, and the prosecution of all those who have committed crimes,” he emphasized pointing to the unity of the army leader on this position.
Al-Atta seemingly intended to reply to a statement by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti” who repeated his readiness to resume talks with the Sudanese army over the end of the war. He accused the Islamists of foiling an agreement to ceasefire reached during secret talks held in Manama, the capital of Bahrain last February.
At the end of May, al Burhan received a call from the U.S. Secretary of State urging him to return to the negotiations in Jeddah. The Sudanese military leader declined the request saying that the RSF have to implement what had been in May 2023.
Al-Atta underscored in his speech the need to distinguish between the Darfur Arab tribes and the militia the army is fighting.
“We are not fighting a tribe. And I hope the Sudanese army will never be programmed to fight a tribe. We are fighting the Janjaweed, the murderers, thieves, looters, slave traders, rapists, and all those who commit the devil’s deeds”.
“We will not postpone the war by concluding a truce and conducting negotiations, only for the war to return (again) after a year or two. No. We will gather our resolve to get rid of this nightmare, this cancer, once and for all”.