The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Sudan have not yet given their consent to a weeklong ceasefire starting from Thursday, an adviser to the RSF head said on Tuesday, Trend reports citing TASS.
"It’s too early to speak about our consent to the seven-day ceasefire," the adviser was quoted as saying by the Al Arabiya television channel. "We are yet to agree on that [lengthy truce]."
At the same time, the official added that the RSF "does not reject the ceasefire in principle, and values all initiatives aimed at resolving the crisis in the country."
The Al Sharq television channel reported on Tuesday, citing the foreign ministry of South Sudan, that the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF have given their consent in principle to a ceasefire beginning from Thursday, May 4. The South Sudan diplomats said the parties to the conflict had agreed to appoint their delegates to "peace talks," adding that the negotiations will be held "at a venue chosen by the parties themselves."
The situation in Sudan escalated amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), who is al-Burhan’s deputy in the council.
The main points of contention between the two military organizations pertain to the timeline and methods for unifying the armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should be appointed as commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is al-Burhan’s preferred option, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists.
On April 15, armed clashes between the rival military factions erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. According to the country’s health ministry, over 550 people have been killed in the country since the conflict broke out.