A top secret leaked document revealed on Friday that RSF-SAF signed a comprehensive agreement to end the Sudanese war earlier this year.
The leaked document dated January 20, 2024 and agreed upon by top officials highlights the need for national unity and a comprehensive solution to the Sudanese crisis, which encompasses political, security, economic, social, and cultural dimensions.
The agreement is based on unannounced talks between SAF General al-Burhan’s Deputy Commander Shams Eddeen Kabashi and RSF second leader Abdul Rahim Dagalo.
The 21-point agreement signed 8 months ago never materialized due to General al-Burhan pulling out of the deal between the warring factions.
RSF stated on Friday that it still recognizes the agreement signed earlier this year and is ready to implement it.
Sudan’s Sovereign Council leader and leader of SAF, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has delayed and railroaded a multitude of peace initiates since the war began in 2023.
Jeddah declaration, signed in May 2023, was never implemented by General al-Burhan and his SAF.
Peace talks taking place in Switzerland’s Geneva since last week have been boycotted by SAF while RSF has sent a delegation and has been engaging in talks with regional and international actors.
General al-Burhan is under immense regional and international pressure to engage in peace talks, but the pleas of the Sudanese people seem to have fallen on deaf ears as Burhan and his officers have recently vowed to keep the fighting going for another 100 years.
Experts believe al-Burhan is buying time for his army and its allied jihadist militias and has no interest in any peace talks. The only way for al-Burhan to remain in power is to keep the civil war going as long as possible, experts believe.
Over the past 16 months, more than 18,800 people have been killed and at least 33,000 injured in Sudan, according to figures from the UN, which recently warned that the country is at a “cataclysmic breaking point.”
The secret agreement would have marked a significant step towards resolving Sudan’s ongoing crisis and was intended to pave the way for a stable and unified future for Sudan.
Here are the highlights from the RSF-SAF joint statement from January 2024.
- Unity and Sovereignty: Affirming the importance of Sudan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its land, resources, airspace, and maritime regions.
- Equal Citizenship: Reaffirming that equal citizenship is fundamental to establishing a modern state in Sudan, ensuring that all Sudanese have equal rights and duties.
- End to Conflict: Committing to address the cumulative crises since independence, with the goal of making the April 15 conflict the country’s final war.
- Civil Democratic Governance: Advocating for a civil and democratic governance system where leadership is chosen through free and fair elections following the end of the transitional period.
- Non-alignment: Ensuring that the state remains neutral, recognizing and respecting diverse religions, identities, and cultures.
- Federal System: Supporting a federal system of government that allows all regions and areas to manage their own political, economic, and cultural affairs at the local level.
- Unified National Army: Establishing a unified professional national army, including all military forces and armed struggle movements, free from political or ideological affiliations.
- Professional Security Forces: Building efficient, professional, and non-political security forces, including police and intelligence services, with fair distribution of opportunities.
- Civil State Institutions: Rebuilding civil state institutions to ensure efficiency, professionalism, and justice.
- Modernization of Security Forces: Developing and modernizing the army, security forces, police, and intelligence services after their establishment.
- Dismantling Previous Regimes: Dissolving the June 30, 1989 system within all state institutions.
- Justice and Transparency: Committing to justice, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law.
- Combating Hate Speech: Implementing reforms and policies to combat hate speech, racism, and promote peaceful coexistence.
- Transitional Justice: Pursuing transitional justice through accountability, truth, reconciliation, reparations, and institutional reforms.
- Non-violence Commitment: Criminalizing violence, extremism, and undermining constitutional legitimacy.
- Balanced Foreign Policy: Adopting a balanced foreign policy focused on national interests, regional peace, and counter-terrorism.
- Detaining Escaped Prisoners: Ensuring the arrest of individuals who escaped from prisons at the start of the conflict.
- International Cooperation: Facilitating the appearance of individuals wanted by the International Criminal Court.
- National Dialogue: Engaging in a comprehensive national dialogue involving all civilian and military actors, excluding only the dissolved National Congress Party and its affiliates, to achieve a peaceful democratic transition.
- Humanitarian Relief: Ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid and creating conditions conducive to relief efforts.
- Rebuilding and Recovery: Addressing the humanitarian and economic impact of the war, and rebuilding affected areas.
Over the past 16 months, more than 18,800 people have been killed and at least 33,000 injured in Sudan, according to figures from the UN, which recently warned that the country is at a “cataclysmic breaking point.”
