Sudan's Peace Effort Fades After a Glimmer of Hope

In October last year, the United States and Saudi Arabia convened ceasefire talks in Jeddah. These talks collapsed almost before they began as clashes intensified between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo.

The U.S. stepped up its diplomatic efforts, exerting pressure on the generals Burhan and Hemedt, and the region. Leaders of states making up the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) met in Djibouti on 9 December and persuaded Burhan and Hemedti to agree to an unconditional ceasefire, political dialogue and a face-to-face meeting on 28 December.

Both sides are expressing their intention to go back to the negotiation table but pundits are expressing skepticism 'Anyone who doubts the genocidal implications of the Rapid support Forces's military conquests need only watch the militia's own videos of its atrocities against civilians in western Darfur,' Alex de Waal, Head of the World Peace Foundation, wrote on December 14 in Foreign Policy.

Maram Mahdi, Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, says: 'Based on its recent decisions and statements, the SAF is seemingly a bigger spoiler to the peace process ... refusing to meaningfully engage and negotiate with not only the RSF but civilians and international actors as well. That's why Taqqadum signed the deal with only Hemedti in Addis.

This article originally appeared on AllAfrica

Image by Fais Abubakr/MSF