The UN spokesman said that Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Commander of the Rapid Support Forces Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo agreed to send representatives to negotiate in Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that there were clashes in the capital.
Volker Peretz said the talks will initially focus on achieving a “stable and credible” ceasefire under the supervision of national and international observers, warning that “the necessary logistics for the talks are still being prepared.”
They continue to face significant challenges in trying to force both sides to respect the ceasefire, the envoy said, adding: “It remains important to keep the two sides in communication and to force both sides to respect the ceasefire so that it becomes clear that fighting, taking action moving forward and trying to gain a foothold is actually a violation of the ceasefire.”
He pointed out that “one of the possibilities is to establish a ceasefire monitoring mechanism with the participation of Sudanese and foreign observers, but this should be agreed”, noting that “negotiations to consolidate the ceasefire could take place in Saudi Arabia or in southern Sudan.”
And he believed that “the former may be easier logistically because it has close relationships with both parties. But even negotiations in Saudi Arabia are fraught with problems, because each side needs safe passage through the territory of the other side in order to negotiate.” given that it is “very difficult in case of mistrust”.
Source: AP
