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Anthony Blinken, United States’ Secretary General for state [Photo: Courtesy]
The United States is committed to ending the year-old armed conflict that has put Sudan on a standstill, said Anthony Blinken, Secretary General for the United States.
“We have not forgotten the transformation the people of Sudan were leading or the cost of the senseless war that began one year ago,” he noted.
“The United States is working tirelessly to alleviate suffering, end the war, and put the future back into the hands of the people of Sudan.”
The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out on April 15, 2023, when a power struggle between the army chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo reached a tipping point.
Al-Burhan and Hemedti staged a coup in 2021 against the civilian regime led by the then Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, who was installed after the ouster of President Bashir.
But in the past year, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been in continual violation of the peace negotiation despite efforts made by the regional and international peace partners.
Despite Western pressure for peace talks, it is difficult for the two parties to reach an agreement quickly, with promises of aid and debt relief as incentives. Each side is concerned about losing too much influence to the other under a new democratic system.
Al-Burhan stated during the UN General Assembly in New York in September, 22, 2023, that the Rapid Support Forces had engaged in war crimes and should be designated as a terrorist group.
However, in a video message to the UN on September 23, 2023, RSF leader Hemedti, disputed that his forces were committing atrocities in the country, stating instead that they were completely prepared for a ceasefire and comprehensive political discussions to end the crisis.
On March 7, 2023, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the warring parties in Sudan to agree to cease the hostilities during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
However, on March 11, 2023, the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese army, Lt. Gen. Yasir Al-Atta, said during the graduation of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Forces in Kassala that Al-Burhan had ruled out a truce due to the presence of RSF in some towns and villages.
On the other hand, the rival forces continued to attack each other on their bases until the Sudanese army forces recaptured the state-owned broadcaster, SBC in Omdurman on March 12, 2024.
The war that erupted between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April 2023 has not shown signs of its end, despite several attempts by the peace mediators.
According to the United Nations’ latest report, nearly 25 million people half of Sudan’s population need humanitarian assistance, and 8 million others have fled their homes. More than 13,000 people have been killed and 26,000 others injured in the ongoing conflict in the country.
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