The United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) announced in a joint statement on Tuesday that the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces agreed to commit to facilitating humanitarian aid and implementing confidence-building measures.
The statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) comes in the wake of a new round of talks between the warring parties, which resumed in the Saudi city of Jeddah last month.
The statement said that the mediators expressed their regret “that the two parties were unable to agree on agreements to implement a ceasefire during this round, as there is no acceptable military solution to this conflict.”
The mediators urged both the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces to put the interests of the Sudanese people first, lay down their arms, and engage in negotiations to end this conflict.
Statement:
In light of the Jeddah Declaration for the Protection of Civilians in Sudan (May 11, 2023), both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces are committed to the following commitments:
(1) Engage in a joint humanitarian mechanism led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to address obstacles to the delivery of relief aid.
(2) Identify contact points to facilitate the passage and transit of humanitarian and aid workers.
(3) Implement confidence building measures regarding:
* Establishing a communication mechanism between the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
* Detention of escapees from prisons.
* Improving the media content for both parties, and reducing the harshness of the media language.
* Taking action against the parties provoking escalation and fueling the conflict.
These procedures are to be implemented in parallel.
The two parties (the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces) affirmed their individual commitment to facilitating the passage of humanitarian aid to both parties.
These commitments represent an important step to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, which contributes to alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people. In this context, it is now up to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to fully adhere to their responsibility to implement what has been agreed upon.
The facilitators regret that the parties were unable to agree on agreements to implement the ceasefire during this first round, as there is no acceptable military solution to this conflict, and the facilitators urge both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to put the interests of the Sudanese people first, lay down arms, and engage in negotiations. To end this conflict.
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2023-11-07 16:39:45
