Quick Military Settlement for Sudan Conflict Out of the Question

Volker Perthes, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), in a joint interview with Radio Dabanga and Sudan Tribune, said that during the first week of the war in Sudan, both the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), were counting on a military solution.

However, as the clashes enter their second month, "the two sides, have reached the conviction that a quick military settlement is out of the question". Referring to the Jeddah talks, co-brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia, Perthes says that they are military and tactical, and will not in themselves lead to a lasting ceasefire.

He held both parties responsible for violating the previous ceasefires and humanitarian truces, and stressed "the need to agree on an effective monitoring mechanism with participation of regional and international organisations". Perthes says that the participation of private citizens and Sudanese civil society will be necessary to observe any ceasefire on the ground, while he suggests that "certain countries will be able to monitor the ceasefire via satellite".

This article originally appeared on BBC News.

Image via Sudan Tribune.