Sudan’s RSF leader threatens escalation as peace talks falter

August 18, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The head of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Daglo aka “Hemetti”, warned on Sunday of escalatory steps to prevent the army from controlling the country’s future, amid stalled peace talks.

The warning came as the ruling Sovereign Council decided to send a delegation to Cairo to discuss the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration, a ceasefire agreement signed in May, with U.S. officials. The U.S. had called for talks in Geneva on August 14, but the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) boycotted the meeting.

“We will not allow just a group of terrified generals who fled the capital to control the fate of our people,” Hemetti said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We will have many options that we are capable of implementing whenever that becomes necessary.”

He accused army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his allies of lacking commitment to negotiations and working towards peace and stability in Sudan.

The RSF has been accused of widespread human rights abuses during the conflict, including ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and sexual violence. Hemetti, however, reiterated his commitment to negotiations as a means to end the war.

He called on the international community to take a “decisive stance” against what he called the military’s “recklessness” towards the suffering of millions of Sudanese.

The army has refused to negotiate with the RSF until it withdraws from civilian areas. It has reportedly sent proposals to Saudi and U.S. mediators regarding the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration, including a timetable for the RSF’s withdrawal from key cities.