Former Sudan PM Hamdok drafts civil transition roadmap, RSF denies El Fasher withdrawal

The Democratic Civil Forces alliance (Tagaddum), chaired by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, approved a draft roadmap to “conclude the ongoing war, achieve peace, and establish a sustainable democratic civil transition”. El Basha Tabeeg, advisor to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander, refuted claims suggesting a withdrawal of RSF troops from North Darfur’s capital of El Fasher.

In a statement yesterday, the Tagaddum coordinating office said it held extensive discussions over the last week, focusing on practical strategies to expedite an end to the conflict, culminating in a proposed six-step roadmap to end the war.

An informed source told Radio Dabanga that the roadmap proposes a comprehensive ceasefire, integrated with effective monitoring mechanisms, to support the Jeddah platform’s ongoing efforts in achieving a cessation of hostilities.

“The draft map outlined how these efforts could be linked to a comprehensive political process that is inclusive of all parties, with the exception of the banned National Congress Party (NCP), the Islamic Movement and their associates”, the source added.

North Darfur

In an exclusive statement to Radio Dabanga, advisor to the RSF commander, El Basha Tabeeg, denied that the RSF has withdrawn from El Fasher, insisting instead that the paramilitary group was “repositioning its forces, in alignment with understandings between Darfur rebel movements and Lt Gen Abdelrahim Dagalo”, second commander of the RSF, and brother of RSF Commander Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo.

El Fasher, the last major city in the region still under combined control of the SAF and the amalgamated Darfur Joint Rebel Force, were “bracing to resist any onslaught by the RSF”, as reported by Radio Dabanga on Monday.

The political and military positions of the armed struggle movements, which groups signatories to the October 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, vary with regard to the ongoing war. While the leaders of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement-Minawi faction (SLM-MM) explicitly announced their joining the ranks of the SAF in the fight against the RSF, El Hadi Idris, leader of the Sudan Revolutionary Front rebel alliance, and El Taher Hajar, head of the Sudan Liberation Forces faction, chose to remain neutral.

Both Idris and Hajar were dismissed from Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, chaired by SAF Commander-in-Chief Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, on the heels of their neutrality announcement.

In response to accusations of foreign intervention by Lt Gen Yasir El Ata, second SAF commander, the RSF advisor said the remarks “lack responsibility and contain hostile accusations against friendly and neighbouring countries of Sudan”, deeming his comments “baseless and unsupported by irrefutable evidence”.

“El Ata has explicitly claimed Egyptian and Turkish support for the SAF, a clear foreign intervention involving military assistance in the form of weapons, aviation, and ammunition”, Tabeeg commented. The RSF advisor believed this is evidence of “a lack of qualification among the current leadership, which is clearly influenced by radical Islamists”.

Concerning the ongoing negotiations in Jeddah, mediated by Saudi-American collaboration, Tabeeg was optimistic that the talks “progressed well and were currently in the confidence-building phase”. He emphasised the RSF’s “sincere commitment to a ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian relief and alleviate suffering”.