Sudan’s al-Burhan seeks support in Rwanda and Angola

August 12, 2024 (KIGALI/LUANDA) – Sudan’s de facto leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan reiterated his commitment to a stalled peace deal with rival paramilitary forces during visits to Rwanda and Angola on Monday, as U.S.-backed efforts to revive the agreement faltered.

Al-Burhan told Rwandan President Paul Kagame that he was committed to the Jeddah Declaration signed in May 2023, Sudan’s ambassador to Rwanda said.

The agreement, brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of both the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from urban areas.

However, fighting has continued in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other parts of the country, and the two sides failed to agree on terms for the army’s participation in internationally-backed peace talks in Geneva that had been scheduled for Monday.

Sudan’s ruling Transitional Sovereign Council said in a statement that al-Burhan also held talks with Angolan President João Lourenço in Luanda, during which he blamed the RSF for the failure to implement the Jeddah deal.

The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, welcomed the proposed Geneva talks. In a televised address, Hemedti said the RSF was attending the talks “with a complete will” and hoped for peace.

The conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April, has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, causing a major humanitarian crisis.