Saudi Arabia has become a strong player in the region through mediation
London – Al-Arab learned from an informed Sudanese source that the head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, the army commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) arrived late last night in Saudi Arabia, in a move that indicates a path of new negotiations under the auspices of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which includes a ceasefire agreement and a political road map between the two parties.
The unannounced visit, which appears to be taking place amid Saudi-Sudanese secrecy, comes after a period of cessation of the Jeddah negotiations, which took place under Saudi-American instigation and reached, on more than one occasion, a fragile ceasefire agreement that quickly collapsed due to an exchange of bombings between the two sides and an exchange of accusations of violating it.
The commanders of the army and the Rapid Support have never met directly since the outbreak of the armed conflict on April 15, neither in Sudan nor abroad, and the rounds of negotiations hosted by Jeddah were limited to their representatives.
It is not yet clear whether the two generals and former partners in the transitional government administration will hold direct discussions under the auspices of the Saudi Crown Prince, or whether they will be indirect discussions, but in all cases their arrival in Saudi Arabia gives a positive indication of a new path that may accelerate a ceasefire and from there become a political road map. New agreements, the details of which are being agreed upon, to end the armed conflict.
These developments come while Saudi Arabia has shown or aspires to a balanced regional and international diplomatic role in resolving regional and even international crises, and it has previously offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end the war that has been going on for nearly two years.
It had previously hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the Arab summit, in what was a clear signal from Riyadh to play the role of mediator in the crisis and end the war.
The visit of Al-Burhan and Daglo to the Kingdom comes while both parties express a desire to negotiate and end the war, but each of them puts forward conditions that the other does not accept, and Prince Mohammed may work to bring the views between the two parties closer.
Last Monday, the Sudanese army commander expressed a conditional willingness to negotiate with the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), indicating at the same time his conviction of victory in this war.
After his speech before the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Al-Burhan said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that he would sit with Hemedti, as long as he was committed to protecting civilians, which the two sides pledged during the Jeddah talks last May, adding “We are ready to participate in the negotiations.”
He continued, “If the leadership of these rebel forces wants to come to their senses and withdraw their forces from residential areas and return to their barracks, we will sit with any of them,” stressing that “Sudan will remain united,” ruling out that his country’s fate would be like Somalia.
Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo also expressed on more than one occasion his readiness to negotiate, stressing the need for the army to return to the barracks, and he previously presented a road map to end the war.
He announced via a video clip that he was ready to begin political talks and reach peace. The words of the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces came shortly after Burhan’s escalation speech before members of the United Nations General Assembly, during which he warned of the possibility that the war could include the entire region.
He presented an initiative to stop the fighting that has been going on for three months by forming a liaison committee with political and societal forces and armed movements to “reach a comprehensive political solution” to the crisis in the country, coinciding with the return of the two sides of the conflict in Sudan to the negotiating table in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The successive and heavy field defeats suffered by the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces, especially in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities, forced it to return to the negotiating table in Jeddah, after being convinced that it was unable to resolve the battle militarily and that prolonging the war would not be in the interest of its forces, from which it lost. Many were killed, captured, or defected and joined the Rapid Support Forces.
In early June, Saudi Arabia and the United States suspended previous talks between the Sudanese sides in Jeddah after numerous violations of the ceasefire, but the two countries declared their commitment to working to end the conflict and meet humanitarian needs.
