Khartoum: Rhino – Rapid Support Forces Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo on Thursday welcomed the international attention that was recently manifested in the statements issued by the African Peace and Security Council meeting, and US President Joe Biden, who for the first time since the outbreak of the war, issued a statement on the catastrophic situation in Sudan.
Hemedti added in a statement on Thursday: “The Sudanese crisis has reached an extent that requires international efforts to come together and coordinate them quickly in order to stop the destructive war, which has produced a large-scale crisis unprecedented in Sudan’s contemporary history.
“Despite our control over the Darfur region, Al-Jazeera state, large parts of Kordofan, Sennar state, and most of Khartoum state, we reaffirm our full readiness for a ceasefire in all parts of Sudan, to allow the passage of humanitarian aid and provide safe corridors for civilians and aid workers, and to start serious and comprehensive political talks leading to a comprehensive political solution and the establishment of a civilian government, leading the country towards democratic transformation and real lasting peace,” he said.
The RSF commander said that war was not an option for them, reaffirming his firm stance for peace and democratic civilian rule, led by genuine democratic forces from all regions of Sudan, especially marginalized areas, women and youth. He added: “The war was the choice and industry of those who disrupted the political settlement procedures represented in the Framework Agreement, which would have put our country back on a civilian transitional path that would have avoided the scenario of hell, We were trapped by the warmongers from the remnants of the so-called Islamic Movement and its elements controlling the armed forces. In order to restore civilian rule and end the war, we exerted remarkable efforts regionally and internationally, which confirmed our true and sincere desire for peace.
“We engaged with full seriousness and sincere intention in the Jeddah negotiations, which were sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. We participated seriously in the Manama negotiations, in which the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt participated in addition to the Kingdom of Bahrain, which sponsored them. Hemedti said he left Khartoum for peace, despite the circumstances of military operations, in order to participate in a summit organized by the IGAD countries in Uganda, “but the commander of the armed forces missed that summit.” He referred to the departure of the second RSF commander from Sudan to participate in the Manama negotiations, which failed due to the absence of the armed forces representative from the negotiations after the signing of the document declaring the principles and foundations of the comprehensive solution, “after a decision taken by the leaders of the National Congress and the old regime not to continue to participate in the negotiations. “He added: “This absence was a confirmation of the fact that the old regime has complete control over the armed forces. After months of deadlocked negotiations, the United States invited the parties to participate in negotiations in Geneva regarding a ceasefire, ensuring humanitarian access to the millions of people in need in Sudan, and a monitoring mechanism. The RSF participated with a delegation that had full authorization to take the necessary decisions to achieve the goal of the negotiations and pave the way to stop the war. However, the Armed Forces refused to participate in the negotiations with excuses and
We were trapped by the warmongers from the remnants of the so-called Islamic Movement and its elements controlling the armed forces. In order to restore civilian rule and end the war, we exerted remarkable efforts regionally and internationally, which confirmed our true and sincere desire for peace. “We engaged with full seriousness and sincere intention in the Jeddah negotiations, which were sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. We participated seriously in the Manama negotiations, in which the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt participated in addition to the Kingdom of Bahrain, which sponsored them. Hemedti said he left Khartoum for peace, despite the circumstances of military operations, in order to participate in a summit organized by the IGAD countries in Uganda, “but the commander of the armed forces missed that summit.” He referred to the departure of the second RSF commander from Sudan to participate in the Manama negotiations, which failed due to the absence of the armed forces representative from the negotiations after the signing of the document declaring the principles and foundations of the comprehensive solution, “after a decision taken by the leaders of the National Congress and the old regime not to continue to participate in the negotiations. “He added: “This absence was a confirmation of the fact that the old regime has complete control over the armed forces. After months of deadlocked negotiations, the United States invited the parties to participate in negotiations in Geneva regarding a ceasefire, ensuring humanitarian access to the millions of people in need in Sudan, and a monitoring mechanism. The RSF participated with a delegation that had full authorization to take the necessary decisions to achieve the goal of the negotiations and pave the way to stop the war.
However, the armed forces refused to participate in the negotiations with flimsy excuses, which showed that they do not care about the suffering of the Sudanese people and that they are nothing but a puppet of the old regime, which only cares about power and domination over the necks of Sudanese people.)
Hemedti pointed out that the RSF made a package of humanitarian commitments in Geneva unilaterally, which was presented to the mediation and is currently working to implement it with a number of measures, including the formation of a force to protect civilians, which began its work in the states of Khartoum, Gezira and Darfur.
“Before that, the RSF participated, while the armed forces were absent, in humanitarian negotiations at the invitation of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General in Geneva, and also made commitments aimed at alleviating human suffering,” he said.
Hemedti reiterated his forces’ commitment to protecting civilians and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid, and pledged to redouble efforts to engage in peace, as called for by President Biden, emphasizing their continued cooperation to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all our people in need in all regions of Sudan without delay.
“We are fully committed to working with international partners, as we did in Switzerland during the ALPS meetings, to open up new routes for aid delivery,” he said. We remain open to expanding access and ensuring the flow of life-saving aid to those in need.)
Regarding El Fasher, Hemedti noted that they had previously submitted a proposal to withdraw the armed forces and RSF from the city, and that “neutral” armed movements would maintain security,
But the proposal was rejected by the Armed Forces leadership. He continued: “The war in El Fasher is part of the armed forces’ strategy to move the war to Darfur and confine it to Darfur, which is why it pushed some leaders of the Darfurian armed movements that reside in Port Sudan to leave neutrality and participate in the war for a small price they received for themselves. The RSF made a great effort to avoid war in all of Sudan, especially the Darfur region, and had it not been for the decision of those who betrayed the issues of the region and allied themselves with the tyrannical army, the war would not have broken out in El Fasher.
Daglo condemned the indiscriminate aerial bombardment carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces, which targets and destroys civilian lives, homes and vital infrastructure. He said that these actions have caused untold suffering to the innocent Sudanese people and emphasized that they constitute a violation of international humanitarian law, calling on the international community and relevant bodies to investigate the continued bombing of civilian areas by the armed forces. Accountability is critical to ensure that those responsible for these atrocities are brought to justice, and we are ready to cooperate in any such investigations.
He reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire negotiations: “We believe that the path to peace lies in dialogue, not indiscriminate violence, and we will continue to engage in peace processes to ensure a future free from fear and suffering for all Sudanese civilians.
He also renewed their commitment to seek a peaceful solution through a transition to civilian rule. He emphasized that they would continue to work with all parties to work towards a united and democratic Sudan and ensure a future of peace and justice for all
In this regard, we agree with the African Union’s position that the political process should be inclusive, but we reiterate our firm position that the National Congress and its various political and civil organizations should not be part of that process, and that any political process must lead to the formation of a civilian government, whose first priority is to dismantle the old regime and establish a new regime in Sudan.
The statement went on to say: “The main obstacle to stopping this war and ending the human suffering is, as we noted above, the armed forces, which are completely controlled by the old regime, and therefore the international community, especially the African Union, the United States and the United Nations, need to exert unified and coordinated pressure against the armed forces and their leadership, which are acting in coordination with countries with malicious intentions that have never wanted the best for Sudan and its people.
“We welcome without hesitation all regional initiatives aimed at achieving comprehensive peace and restoring the democratic transition in Sudan. We will go anywhere in the world in search of peace, because we are not warmongers, we did not start the current war, and neither we nor the people of Sudan have any interest in its continuation. Therefore, our hands will always be outstretched for peace.
