A possible face-to-face meeting between Sudanese Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, would be a necessary step toward ending Sudan’s war, Sudanese writer and researcher Dr. Al-Nour Hamad has said.
Hamad welcomed efforts by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit to mediate between the rival sides, saying direct engagement between their leaders could help create a path toward halting the fighting.
His remarks followed Kiir’s announcement that Juba was prepared to launch a new mediation initiative during talks with Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi in the South Sudanese capital. The proposal has triggered renewed debate in Sudan over whether regional diplomacy can revive stalled peace efforts.
Hamad said stopping the war must remain the immediate priority, but argued that Sudan’s political trajectory since the October 25, 2021 coup had increasingly consolidated Burhan’s authority, even though the takeover was initially carried out in partnership with the RSF.
He said the subsequent framework agreement, which was backed by the RSF, was never fully implemented and argued that the conflict later erupted amid efforts to push the RSF out of the political process and weaken civilian forces.
Hamad described Kiir’s initiative as “positive” but questioned whether the Port Sudan authorities were genuinely prepared to accept a negotiated settlement.
He pointed to previous talks in Jeddah, Manama and Geneva, saying the authorities had repeatedly stepped back from commitments to a political settlement.
Regional developments were also making an end to the conflict more difficult, Hamad said, citing closer ties between the Port Sudan administration and Saudi Arabia, new cooperation agreements and continued efforts to obtain military support abroad.
He also referred to recent moves involving senior SAF commander Yasser al-Atta and contacts with Turkey over weapons and military cooperation, saying such developments suggested that the military option remained central to the Port Sudan authorities’ strategy.
Hamad said he hoped Kiir’s mediation effort would succeed, but added that current signals did not indicate a clear willingness by the Port Sudan government to enter direct negotiations with the RSF.
Any direct meeting between Burhan and Hemedti would represent a major development in efforts to end a war that has devastated Sudan and repeatedly frustrated regional and international mediation initiatives.
