Al-Atta conditional the truce on the withdrawal of support forces from the cities of Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum, and Al-Jazira (Anatolia)

Yasser Al-Atta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Army, confirmed - yesterday, Saturday - that there is no truce during Ramadan, at a time when the Rapid Support Forces welcomed a draft UN resolution stipulating a truce between the two sides during the holy month.

Al-Atta said - when addressing the graduation of forces affiliated with the Justice and Equality Movement that were absorbed into the army in Kassala - that the Army Commander and Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, made it clear “that there is no truce with people who have no morals, no values, and no religion,” according to him.

Al-Atta mortgaged the truce and negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces by withdrawing from the cities of Darfur, Kordofan, the capital, Khartoum, and Gezira State.

He also stipulated for the negotiations to identify 3 camps in the capital and 3 in Darfur, to which the Rapid Support would withdraw and hand over its weapons and tanks, and then sit with him only for accountability and justice, as he put it.

On Friday, the Security Council approved a draft resolution submitted by Britain to stop hostilities during the month of Ramadan, but the mechanism for implementing the resolution is still unclear.

Fourteen countries supported a draft resolution proposed by Britain, on which Russia abstained, calling for “an immediate cessation of hostilities before Ramadan” and asking “all parties to the conflict to search for a lasting solution through dialogue.”

The resolution - which came in accordance with Article Six - also calls on both parties to the conflict to “allow full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid, including across borders and across front lines” and urges them to protect civilians.

Sudan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idris Al-Harith Muhammad, told the Council on Thursday that the head of the country's Transitional Council praised the call made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to activate a truce during the month of Ramadan.

But he said that the President of the Transitional Council wonders how to implement it.

For its part, the Rapid Support Forces welcomed - yesterday, Saturday - the call made by the United Nations Security Council to stop hostilities during the month of Ramadan, which will provide a possible respite in the conflict that has been ongoing for 11 months.

The month of Ramadan is expected to begin tomorrow, Monday, or the day after tomorrow, Tuesday.

In a statement, the Rapid Support Forces expressed their hope that the Security Council’s resolution would lead to “alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese through the delivery of humanitarian aid and facilitating the movement of civilians, as well as using it to begin serious consultations towards the start of the political process that leads to a permanent ceasefire.”

American visit

The US State Department said - yesterday, Saturday - that the US special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, will visit a number of countries in Africa and the Middle East, starting next Monday until March 25.

The ministry added that the visit will clarify "the priority that the US administration attaches to ending the conflict in Sudan, meeting the urgent and urgent humanitarian needs of the Sudanese people, and charting a path towards forming a democratic civilian government."

The ongoing fighting since April 15, 2023 between the Sudanese army led by Al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the former second-in-command in the military authority, has led to the deaths of thousands of Sudanese and the displacement of about 8 million others.

Half of Sudan's population of about 50 million people need humanitarian aid, and "slightly less than 18 million people are on the path to famine," meaning "an increase of 10 million people compared to the same period last year," according to Griffiths.

On the other hand, the Executive Secretary of IGAD, Warqina Guibao, discussed with the delegation of the African Union High-Level Committee on Sudan, headed by Mohamed Chambas, ways to stop the war, start political dialogue, and deliver humanitarian aid.

The meeting held in Djibouti comes days after the committee delegation met with Al-Burhan in Port Sudan.

Source: websites + agencies