African Union Unveils Roadmap for Sudanese Peace with Direct Talks

In Sudan, intense battles have erupted in Khartoum and the western city of El Fasher, following an African Union initiative calling for direct talks between Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have continued unabated. The SAF reported that the RSF launched an attack on the Armored Corps headquarters in southern Khartoum using heavy weaponry. The SAF successfully repelled the attack, destroying several RSF military vehicles.

El Fasher has also witnessed intermittent artillery shelling by the RSF on northern neighborhoods and the army headquarters in North Darfur State. The SAF responded with airstrikes targeting RSF positions north of the city.

For over a month, El Fasher has been a battleground for fierce clashes between the army and joint forces of armed struggle movements on one side, and the RSF on the other. These conflicts have resulted in dozens of deaths and the displacement of thousands.

The El Fasher Resistance Committees reported that the RSF bombarded the only hospital equipped for surgery and critical care. The Saudi Hospital, the only facility in Darfur providing women's and obstetric care, has been severely affected following the shutdown of the Southern Hospital.

In South Darfur, tension has escalated due to renewed tribal conflicts between the Salamat and Habaniya tribes in the village of Sumasim in Radom locality. The situation remains volatile, causing large-scale displacement of villagers.

Amidst this turmoil, the African Union has called for an immediate ceasefire and appointed Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to head a presidential committee to facilitate direct talks between al-Burhan and Dagalo.

The African Union's roadmap has re-emerged as a potential framework to resolve the escalating crisis in Sudan, which has persisted for over fourteen months. Efforts to resume dialogue between the warring parties have stalled.

The African Union plans to form a presidential committee led by President Museveni, with several heads of state, to facilitate direct talks between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF as soon as possible, without any preconditions, according to a presidential statement from recent meetings.

The African Union emphasized that a mutually acceptable ceasefire can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the principal actors in the conflict. Previous indirect negotiations, most recently in Manama, have failed, and talks in Jeddah have stalled.

The council reiterated that there is no military solution to the current crisis and urged all parties to fully engage in the peace process.

While the RSF appears somewhat flexible regarding negotiations with the army, previous agreements and ceasefires between the two sides have not been upheld.

The Sudanese army, based on its recent positions, seems to distrust the RSF. It appears committed to eliminating what it considers the RSF rebellion, though this issue remains unresolved.

There are growing international and regional concerns about Sudan sliding into total chaos, especially as the conflict now spans over seventy percent of the country.