Khartoum: Rhino – The Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddom) on Saturday criticized the Sudanese army’s refusal to sit for negotiations in the Geneva talks in order to achieve a comprehensive cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, and delivery of aid ‘with binding and effective monitoring mechanisms.’ The Coordination said in a statement on Saturday that the army’s intransigence would lead to the continuation and expansion of the cycle of violence in the country, increase the number of refugees and displaced persons, prolong their suffering in the areas where they have taken refuge, and bring half of Sudan’s population into the famine that local and international humanitarian organizations have warned of.

The statement reads: ‘Four days have passed since the start of the Swiss talks called by the United States of America and the armed forces still refuse to attend to negotiate ways to stop the war in Sudan, while the delegations of the mediation, observers and the Rapid Support delegation arrived, which is positive because it raised hopes about the possibility of a real breakthrough in this round, but this opportunity is about to be lost, because the armed forces maintain the position of not participating in the talks, a position that directly causes the prolongation of the suffering of the people of Sudan and doubles it undoubtedly.

The statement reads: “Sudan now represents the largest humanitarian disaster in the world according to the number of refugees, displaced persons and internationally approved famine indicators, and by missing the opportunity to stop the war now, this disaster will enter a new tragic chapter, the price of which will be paid by the Sudanese people who are crushed by this war and destroy their lives. The Armed Forces have taken a position of deafness to the voices of the suffering of millions of Sudanese whose lives have been destroyed by this war, and have instead listened to the positions of war advocates from the remnants of the former regime who want to turn the clock back to before the glorious December revolution and continue to empower and loot the country’s resources through the system of institutionalized corruption, and some armed movements that profit from this war without caring about its devastating effects on the country and its people”.

The Coordination called on all Sudanese who oppose the war to unite their voices and stand firmly against all those who prolong the war and hinder the achievement of immediate peace in the country. The Coordination praised the international and regional initiatives seeking to establish peace in Sudan, and called for continued efforts and united energies to remove ‘the obstacles that prevent the silencing of the voices of guns in Sudan.’