Jeddah Forum Issues Statement on SAF and RSF Commitment
Sudan Events – Talal Ismail
Saudi-American mediation announced the commitment of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to to facilitate increase in humanitarian aid and implement confidence-building measures.
The Saudi and American mediation, and IGAD, announced trust -building measures in preparation for reaching a permanent cessation of hostilities.
The mediation said in a statement seen by Sudan Events: “In light of Jeddah Declaration to Protect Civilians in Sudan (May 11, 2023), both the SAF and the RSF are committed to that to 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 aid.
The commitment includes identifying contact points to facilitate the passage and transit of humanitarian and aid workers and implementing confidence-building measures regarding establishing a communication mechanism between the leaders of the SAF and RSF and detaining prison escapees.
It also includes improving the media content for both parties, reducing the severity of the media language, and taking measures against the parties that provoke escalation and fueling the conflict, provided that these measures are implemented in parallel.
The two parts (SAF and RSF) 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 SAF and RSF to fully adhere to their responsibility to implement what has been agreed upon.
The statement denoted: “The facilitators regret that the two 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 SAF and the RSF to put the interests of the Sudanese people first, and to lay down their arms and engage in negotiations to end this conflict.”
