News: Sudan’s former PM Abdallah Hamdok, RSF leader set to meet in Addis Abeba today

Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok seen together in archived photo. Photo: Sudan Tribune

Addis Abeba– Sudan’s pro-civilian Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddum) led by its Chairman, former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, is expected to meet with Mohamed Hamdan Daglo of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Addis Abeba, today.

Taqaddum said in a statement released Sunday that “the meeting aims to address pressing issues related to protecting civilians, facilitating humanitarian aid delivery, and exploring pathways towards a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.”

Despite series of letters sent by Taqadum to Sudan’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Hemetti, urging them “to engage in urgent discussions to address the humanitarian crisis and pave the way for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” there was no confirmation of al-Burhan’s attendance in the meeting.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Djibouti said last week that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-backed meeting, which was set to take place in Djibouti on 28 December 2023, has been postponed due to “technical reasons”.

The meeting, which was to be held under the chairmanship of Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, and was scheduled to bring the two warring sides to negotiate a ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian aid in Sudan is now pushed to unspecified date in early January.

Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, has since been engaged in a series of meetings with regional leaders Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in Kampala, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Abeba where the two discussed “ways to achieve peace and stability in Sudan.”

He also met with President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti on Sunday and discussed “IGAD mediation efforts to continue for peace and stability in the region.”

However, in a statement on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of Sudan’s independence on Sunday, al-Burhan, who is also the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, sent out harsh criticism against countries hosting RSF commander Hemeti “to stop interfering.”

“I am sending a message to the countries that receive those killers to stop interfering in the affairs of Sudan,” al-Burhan said in a televised speech.

Taqadum’s statement on today’s meeting in Addis Abeba said despite the lack of confirmation from al-Burhan they are “in discussions with the military leadership to finalize arrangements for a meeting between the two parties.”

Thousands have been killed and millions displaced since the war broke out in Sudan between forces loyal to al-Burhan and Hemeti in April last year, which ended the civilian government led by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok. AS