No ceasefire in sight: bloody fighting continues in Sudan. The Polish president accuses the Tusk government of breaking the law

Despite speculation about a first meeting between the leaders of the conflict parties in Sudan, heavy fighting continues in the Horn of Africa country. A coalition of civilian democratic groups (Taqaddum) had announced that de facto head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan would meet militia leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday for the first time since the conflict began in April.

It is hoped that agreement will be reached on “practical steps” to reduce the suffering of the population, Taqaddum said. But neither Al-Burhan nor Daglo camps confirmed the alleged meeting, which was due to take place from Monday afternoon under the mediation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Last week there were already vague signals that a new attempt at mediation between the conflicting parties could soon be possible. On Wednesday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni welcomed militia leader Daglo for talks on the conflict. A photo showed a handshake between the two.

Daglo had not been seen in public since fighting broke out between his Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and the Sudanese army in April, except in videos released by the RSF. This repeatedly led to rumors of injury or death. Unlike those of al-Burhan and Daglo’s brother Abdelrahim, Daglo’s foreign travels have not yet been reported.

So far, numerous attempts at mediation, including the US and Saudi Arabia, have failed. The power struggle between the two generals who came to power together in a coup in 2019 has brought the country into major difficulties.

Daglo’s RSF emerged from equestrian militias in Sudan’s Darfur region, which are notorious for serious human rights crimes. The militia has been accused of looting, mass murder, rape and ethnic cleansing. According to observers, it is supported by the United Arab Emirates. The RSF was recently able to advance against the Sudanese army in the center of the country.

According to the independent newspaper Sudan Tribune, the Sudanese army killed 37 people in an airstrike in the town of Nyala this weekend. According to the UN, almost seven million people are on the run in the country, which has a population of about 46 million. (sda/dpa)