Sudan’s RSF commander meets Djibouti president

In a diplomatic tour spanning the Horn of Africa, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo visited Djibouti, meeting President Ismail Omar Guella, chair of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), yesterday. This follows the postponement of the face-to-face meeting with Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Commander Abdelfattah El Burhan to January.

After discussions, Hemedti, in a statement on his X account (formerly Twitter), briefed President Guella on Sudan’s ongoing war and presented the RSF’s vision for a comprehensive solution to end the people’s suffering.

He affirmed his “full commitment to IGAD summit outcomes and readiness for unconditional negotiations for just and comprehensive peace”.

Prior to Djibouti, Hemedti held talks in Uganda with President Yoweri Museveni and in Ethiopia with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, last week.

His itinerary includes a meeting today with former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok in Addis Ababa.

Hamdok, chair of the Civil Democratic Forces (Tagaddum) alliance, requested a meeting with Hemedti and El Burhan to discuss civilian protection, humanitarian aid, and war cessation.

In a press statement yesterday, Tagaddum’s media office announced the meeting in Addis Ababa, expressing hope for practical steps to alleviate Sudanese suffering and advance regional and international peace efforts.

Tagaddum, comprising Sudanese pro-democracy parties and groups, awaits further communication with the SAF to determine the meeting’s time and place. The alliance anticipates these engagements will contribute to ending the April 15 war, aligning with regional initiatives by IGAD, the African Union, and the Jeddah Platform.