Highlights: The Sudanese army said on April 26, 2023 that it had agreed in principle to participate in negotiations in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. A 72-hour ceasefire brokered under the auspices of Washington expires at midnight on April 27. Washington and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) seem to have succeeded in wresting from the Sudanese warring parties a 72- hour extension of the truce. The IGAD seems to be on the verge of obtaining an extension, until now, had allowed a decrease in the intensity of the fighting.

The Sudanese army said on April 26, 2023 that it had agreed in principle to participate in negotiations in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, at the initiative of the Intergovernmental Authority...

Sudan: towards an extension of the ceasefire under the aegis of the regional organisation Igad?

On the left, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General al-Burhan and on the right, the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Hemedti. © ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP

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The Sudanese army said on April 26, 2023 that it had agreed in principle to participate in negotiations in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, at the initiative of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), a regional organization that brings together seven East African countries including Sudan. A 72-hour ceasefire brokered under the auspices of Washington expires at midnight on April 27.

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In Sudan, while local, regional and African initiatives are multiplying to put an end to the violent clashes that have been taking place since April 15, 2023 and that oppose the army and the paramilitaries, Washington and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development – the IGAD, which includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda – seem to have succeeded in wresting from the Sudanese warring parties a 72-hour extension of the truce that is due to expire at midnight on April 27.

This is a first step forward, but nothing is yet certain. The IGAD seems to be on the verge of obtaining an extension of the truce which, until now, had allowed a decrease in the intensity of the fighting.

► Read also Sudan: a situation still very volatile despite the ceasefire

If General Hemedti, the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has still not reacted, the head of the army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has therefore accepted the principle of this new truce. According to an army statement, he also agreed in principle to send a representative to South Sudan to start a dialogue.

General al-Burhan refuses to sit at the same table as Hemedti

But al-Burhan, in an interview with al-Arabiya TV, ruled out personally sitting at the same table as a "rebel" thus pointing to his opponent Hemedti. A Hemedti who did not confirm the sending of a delegate to Juba. It is IGAD and South Sudan that affirm this.

The presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti are working to improve the details of the IGAD initiative in hopes of the arrival in Juba soon of representatives of the two warring parties.

For observers, this small step towards dialogue is real progress. Until now, both sides refused to discuss and sought to defeat the other before any discussion.

Sudan: towards an extension of the ceasefire under the aegis of the regional organisation Igad?

Sudan: towards an extension of the ceasefire under the aegis of the regional organisation Igad?

General al-Burhan refuses to sit at the same table as Hemedti

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