Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has stated that he is ready for the transition to a civilian government. However, he has said that a ceasefire must hold for negotiations to be held. The head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, has said that he will not hold talks if fighting continues. After the truce was extended until Sunday, Hemedti’s fighters faced continuous bombardment. He has blamed Burhan for the violence, saying that radical Islamists are in control of the armed forces chief. Hemedti says that he is ready for talks but wants the ceasefire to hold.
Hemedti has denied claims that the RSF is forcing people from their homes and looting and extorting civilians. He says that these are Sudanese military wearing uniforms of the RSF and intimidating civilians to spread a false narrative. The AFP reports that trenches have been dug in parts of Khartoum as rival troops battle each other street by street. At least 512 people have been killed and over 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to the Sudanese health ministry.
Hemedti has said that he does not want to destroy Sudan and is looking forward to having a fully civilian government. He has no personal problem with Burhan but considers him to be a traitor because he brought people loyal to ousted former president Omar al-Bashir into the government. Bashir was ousted after mass protests in 2019. Despite Hemedti sounding like he wants civilian rule to return, his and his RSF’s role in crushing rebellions in Sudan during 2003-04 Darfur crisis is being highlighted by several analysts speaking to international news agencies.
The ceasefire was extended on Thursday, but residents of Khartoum and international news agencies say that fighting did not cease. News agencies report that Khartoum witnessed air, tank and artillery strikes on Saturday and Friday, indicating that the truce was fragile in nature.
