Tomorrow, in Geneva, Switzerland, a peace conference will be held aimed at creating a ceasefire in Sudan and, ideally, an end to the war. However, one crucial component of this peace conference remains missing: an entire side of the war..The peace conference appears to be going ahead without the attendance of any delegation from the Sudanese military government or the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with only the opposing paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), planning to attend..Barriers to Peace.From July 11th to July 19th, the UN hosted indirect peace talks between the RSF and the SAF in Geneva—the first of their kind since November—when talks held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia broke down. The two sides never met face to face, only meeting with the UN Secretary General's personal envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, and his team..After these talks, the US hoped to build on the momentum and sought to host a second round. As such, they extended an invitation to both the RSF and the SAF to attend a second round of talks in Geneva on August 14th..These talks are to be mediated by the US with Saudi Arabia as a co-host, and the UN, African Union, UAE, and Egypt acting as observers. The US and Saudi Arabia acting together as co-hosts for the talks makes them notedly similar to the talks held in Jeddah last year..After the US State Department extended the invitation, the leader of the RSF, Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo, was quick to accept. The SAF showed some reluctance, however, and did not give an answer right away. This changed on July 31st when the leader of the SAF, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, survived an assassination attempt..Following the assassination attempt Burhan rejected any sort of negotiations with the RSF, vowing to "cleanse" the country of "every rebel and mercenary."."We will not lay down our arms until the country is cleansed of every rebel and mercenary. We are continuing to crush and eliminate the terrorist militia of the Dagalo family." -SAF leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.This rejection followed a series of preconditions and demands that Burhan had laid out the previous day. These demands included a requirement for the US to hold direct talks with exclusively the SAF prior to Geneva, and expanded dialogue with international entities such as the UN to hear the SAF's perspective on ending the war..Further, Burhan reiterated previous preconditions established earlier in the war that demanded the implementation of the Jeddah agreement, reached last year in May during initial talks, recognition as the government of Sudan rather than just the military, and a unilateral withdrawal of RSF forces from urban centers.."Any negotiations before the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration, which stipulates a comprehensive withdrawal and cessation of expansion, will not be acceptable to the Sudanese people." -An excerpt of a statement from the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Burhan also protested the attendance of the UAE at the talks. Sudan has repeatedly accused the UAE of supplying the RSF throughout the war, in accusations that UN observers have referred to as "credible.".With the SAF's rejection of the Geneva talks, the fate of the talks were called into question. However, they appear to be going ahead, simply without the SAF..Because of this, Hemedti has accused the SAF of attempting to stall the Geneva peace talks, and of having a lack of commitment to peace. Further, Hemedti claimed that Sudan is without legitimate government, describing the Sudanese military government authorities that have been operating out of Port Sudan as a "gang."."This is our firm and unwavering commitment to the Sudanese people. We will go to the upcoming negotiations with a genuine will to stop the war immediately and without delay." -RSF Leader Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo.It is worth noting that the RSF has refused to participate in peace processes on several occasions in the past..Without the SAF's attendance, it is unclear what exactly the talks in Geneva hope to accomplish. However, with Egypt's attendance, which is aligned with the SAF, there remains a technical possibility of movement towards a ceasefire, temporary or permanent..Reiteration of Commitments.Alongside Hemedti reiterating that the RSF intends to attend the Geneva talks, he also reiterated a series of commitments that the RSF had made..One of the most important commitments is to a democratic transition in a post war setting. Sudan's democratic transition was interrupted in 2021, when Burhan headed a coup that solidified military rule in the nation..Further important is Hemedti stating the RSF's commitment to protecting civilians. In order to reinforce this, he announced the creation of a specialized force to protect civilians. The force is to expand over time and is meant to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, facilitate humanitarian aid delivery, and assist in providing security to international organizations and aid workers..Hemedti blamed criminal groups for many of the security issues facing civilian populations.."We have triumphed against remnants of the former regime, but security challenges from outlaw groups and criminals persist. We will continue confronting them resolutely." -RSF leader Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo.Despite these announced commitments, the Governor of North Darfur on Sunday accused the RSF of killing 28 civilians in an attack upon the city of El Fasher on Saturday..El Fasher has been under siege by the RSF since early May, with clashes having erupted around the city since early April. As with the remainder of Sudan, there are no accurate casualty counts due to a lack of information-gathering services. However, it is believed that hundreds of civilians have been killed in the clashes, as hundreds of thousands of civilians remain essentially trapped within the city..Both the SAF and the RSF oftentimes indiscriminately bomb hostile areas, leading to significant civilian casualties in warzones..Elsewhere in Sudan, the RSF was accused of shelling on Friday a newly reopened maternity hospital in Omdurman. The hospital had only reopened the previous day after it underwent repairs for damage it had suffered while under RSF ownership.
Tomorrow, in Geneva, Switzerland, a peace conference will be held aimed at creating a ceasefire in Sudan and, ideally, an end to the war. However, one crucial component of this peace conference remains missing: an entire side of the war..The peace conference appears to be going ahead without the attendance of any delegation from the Sudanese military government or the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with only the opposing paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), planning to attend..Barriers to Peace.From July 11th to July 19th, the UN hosted indirect peace talks between the RSF and the SAF in Geneva—the first of their kind since November—when talks held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia broke down. The two sides never met face to face, only meeting with the UN Secretary General's personal envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, and his team..After these talks, the US hoped to build on the momentum and sought to host a second round. As such, they extended an invitation to both the RSF and the SAF to attend a second round of talks in Geneva on August 14th..These talks are to be mediated by the US with Saudi Arabia as a co-host, and the UN, African Union, UAE, and Egypt acting as observers. The US and Saudi Arabia acting together as co-hosts for the talks makes them notedly similar to the talks held in Jeddah last year..After the US State Department extended the invitation, the leader of the RSF, Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo, was quick to accept. The SAF showed some reluctance, however, and did not give an answer right away. This changed on July 31st when the leader of the SAF, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, survived an assassination attempt..Following the assassination attempt Burhan rejected any sort of negotiations with the RSF, vowing to "cleanse" the country of "every rebel and mercenary."."We will not lay down our arms until the country is cleansed of every rebel and mercenary. We are continuing to crush and eliminate the terrorist militia of the Dagalo family." -SAF leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.This rejection followed a series of preconditions and demands that Burhan had laid out the previous day. These demands included a requirement for the US to hold direct talks with exclusively the SAF prior to Geneva, and expanded dialogue with international entities such as the UN to hear the SAF's perspective on ending the war..Further, Burhan reiterated previous preconditions established earlier in the war that demanded the implementation of the Jeddah agreement, reached last year in May during initial talks, recognition as the government of Sudan rather than just the military, and a unilateral withdrawal of RSF forces from urban centers.."Any negotiations before the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration, which stipulates a comprehensive withdrawal and cessation of expansion, will not be acceptable to the Sudanese people." -An excerpt of a statement from the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Burhan also protested the attendance of the UAE at the talks. Sudan has repeatedly accused the UAE of supplying the RSF throughout the war, in accusations that UN observers have referred to as "credible.".With the SAF's rejection of the Geneva talks, the fate of the talks were called into question. However, they appear to be going ahead, simply without the SAF..Because of this, Hemedti has accused the SAF of attempting to stall the Geneva peace talks, and of having a lack of commitment to peace. Further, Hemedti claimed that Sudan is without legitimate government, describing the Sudanese military government authorities that have been operating out of Port Sudan as a "gang."."This is our firm and unwavering commitment to the Sudanese people. We will go to the upcoming negotiations with a genuine will to stop the war immediately and without delay." -RSF Leader Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo.It is worth noting that the RSF has refused to participate in peace processes on several occasions in the past..Without the SAF's attendance, it is unclear what exactly the talks in Geneva hope to accomplish. However, with Egypt's attendance, which is aligned with the SAF, there remains a technical possibility of movement towards a ceasefire, temporary or permanent..Reiteration of Commitments.Alongside Hemedti reiterating that the RSF intends to attend the Geneva talks, he also reiterated a series of commitments that the RSF had made..One of the most important commitments is to a democratic transition in a post war setting. Sudan's democratic transition was interrupted in 2021, when Burhan headed a coup that solidified military rule in the nation..Further important is Hemedti stating the RSF's commitment to protecting civilians. In order to reinforce this, he announced the creation of a specialized force to protect civilians. The force is to expand over time and is meant to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, facilitate humanitarian aid delivery, and assist in providing security to international organizations and aid workers..Hemedti blamed criminal groups for many of the security issues facing civilian populations.."We have triumphed against remnants of the former regime, but security challenges from outlaw groups and criminals persist. We will continue confronting them resolutely." -RSF leader Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo.Despite these announced commitments, the Governor of North Darfur on Sunday accused the RSF of killing 28 civilians in an attack upon the city of El Fasher on Saturday..El Fasher has been under siege by the RSF since early May, with clashes having erupted around the city since early April. As with the remainder of Sudan, there are no accurate casualty counts due to a lack of information-gathering services. However, it is believed that hundreds of civilians have been killed in the clashes, as hundreds of thousands of civilians remain essentially trapped within the city..Both the SAF and the RSF oftentimes indiscriminately bomb hostile areas, leading to significant civilian casualties in warzones..Elsewhere in Sudan, the RSF was accused of shelling on Friday a newly reopened maternity hospital in Omdurman. The hospital had only reopened the previous day after it underwent repairs for damage it had suffered while under RSF ownership.
