Clackett Second Time: Indirect Talks Between the Army and Rapid Support Forces in Geneva

Sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, has started arranging invitations to the two parties involved in the Sudanese conflict: the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to resume indirect talks in Geneva, Switzerland, next January. These talks will focus on the issue of civilian protection.

In recent days, the “Allies for Saving Lives and Achieving Peace in Sudan (ALPS)” group engaged in new consultations with Sudanese civil society actors, including women, youth, and organizations, to gather their views and suggestions to be included in the agenda of the upcoming talks.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN official said the “Rapid Support Forces have agreed to resume talks, while the army has shown preliminary approval to participate, but no official confirmation has been received yet.”

The UN Special Envoy, Lamamra, will personally lead the talks between the two parties to reach a binding agreement on civilian protection, which may open the door to understanding on other issues related to the hostilities.

During the negotiations held in Geneva last August, the ALPS group, which includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Switzerland, the African Union, and the UN, succeeded in securing strong agreement from both warring parties to ensure the reopening and expansion of humanitarian access routes without obstacles based on the “Jeddah Declaration.” This later paved the way for limited humanitarian relief to reach civilians in conflict areas in Darfur and Kordofan.

However, the official spokesperson for the RSF negotiation team, Mohamed Al-Mukhtar Al-Noor, briefly stated to Asharq Al-Awsat that “we have not yet received an official invitation from the UN Special Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, regarding the upcoming talks. If we are invited, we will respond after studying the invitation.”

The absence of the Sudanese army delegation from those talks hindered reaching an agreement on the mechanisms proposed by international partners in the group regarding civilian protection, including receiving complaints and addressing emerging issues related to the implementation of obligations under existing agreements.

High-level consultative meetings between the leaders of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and American officials, held in separate meetings in Jeddah and Cairo in the past few months, failed to reach an understanding about their participation in the previous Geneva negotiations. These leaders insisted on participating with a delegation representing the Sudanese government, but the American side opposed this.

According to sources, the upcoming round of talks in January will “focus on making a significant breakthrough to push the warring parties to protect civilians by agreeing on measures for a nationwide cessation of hostilities as a gateway to a ceasefire.”

They also mentioned that Lamamra is expected to visit Port Sudan, the country’s temporary administrative capital, in the coming days, where he is scheduled to meet with the leaders of the Sovereign Council and senior Sudanese officials.

During his visit to Port Sudan, the UN envoy will directly invite the Sudanese government to participate in the talks. He has not ruled out that they may insist on their previous conditions, “but he emphasized that the Geneva talks are primarily based on the agreement reached in the (Jeddah Principles Declaration), which is an agreement without dispute between the two parties.”

The RSF had participated with a high-level delegation in the previous Geneva talks, emphasizing its commitment to improving civilian protection, ensuring compliance with the “Jeddah Declaration,” and any future agreements. The RSF also pledged to issue strict instructions to its commanders and forces in the field to refrain from committing violations or interfering with humanitarian operations as agreed upon.

The international community still considers the humanitarian aid delivered during the short period following the Geneva talks “insufficient,” calling for improved conditions to increase the flow of relief and aid, and enabling humanitarian access to millions of civilians affected by the ongoing war.

The war in Sudan erupted in mid-April 2023 between the head of the Sovereign Council and army leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the RSF led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemeti.” The conflict has spread across vast areas of the country, resulting in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, according to reports from UN agencies and organizations.