Rédaction Africa Links 24 with SudanTribune
Published on 2024-03-10 11:06:53
On March 9, 2024, Sudanese Lieutenant General Yasir Al-Atta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese army, made a public statement rejecting calls for a ceasefire with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group during the holy month of Ramadan. This announcement came after the UN Security Council urged both sides in Sudan’s ongoing conflict to cease hostilities before Ramadan, as the fighting had been ongoing for 11 months in various regions of Sudan, causing a severe humanitarian crisis.
Speaking to graduating Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) forces in Kassala, Al-Atta emphasized that the military and the people of Sudan would not agree to a truce dictated by others. He highlighted that Sudan’s military chief, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had made it clear that a ceasefire with the RSF was impossible due to their perceived lack of morals and disregard for the law.
Al-Atta outlined specific conditions for a potential truce, including the RSF’s withdrawal from occupied cities in Darfur and Kordofan, their departure from Khartoum, and the handover of military equipment. He stated that negotiations would only begin once these terms were met and the RSF fighters were gathered in designated cantonment sites in Khartoum and Darfur.
During his speech, Al-Atta vehemently opposed any future political role for RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and other senior RSF figures, arguing that political leadership should be determined by the Sudanese people after the conflict. He also emphasized that the RSF had no place in the military institution due to their values being incompatible with those upheld by the Sudanese armed forces.
Al-Atta expressed gratitude to international organizations and states for their support, regardless of their stance on the conflict. He reiterated the commitment of the Sudanese military and security forces to following the will of the people, which he defined as defeating the RSF and building a modern Sudan. He called for an emergency government to bolster the war effort and rebuild areas liberated from RSF control.
During his speech, Gibril Ibrahim, the JEM leader and Finance Minister, stood beside Al-Atta, appearing to support his statements. Al-Atta also renewed accusations against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), claiming that the RSF’s actions were carried out with direct support from the UAE. He referred to the UAE leadership with inflammatory terms and alleged that the UAE instigated the war to pursue its own goals in Sudan.
Al-Atta’s accusations against the UAE sparked a diplomatic crisis between Sudan, the UAE, and Chad. As the first high-ranking Sudanese official to publicly accuse the UAE of supporting the RSF, Al-Atta’s statements shed light on the complexities of the conflict and the various international interests at play.
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