Port Sudan , July 13(Darfur 24)The government, which is under the authority of the army, announced on Saturday its agreement to hold indirect discussions with the Rapid Support Forces, in the Swiss city of Geneva, mediated by the United Nations, and said that its delegation did not receive the agenda for deliberations despite its arrival a few days ago.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, and his team are continuing the discussions he is holding separately with the delegations of the army and the Rapid Support Forces in Geneva.
Government spokesman and Minister of Culture and Information, Jarhan Abdul Qadir, said in a statement obtained by “Darfur 24,” that “the Government of Sudan agreed to participate in indirect deliberations in the city of Geneva regarding the humanitarian situation, in response to the initiative of the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General.”
He pointed out that the technical delegation of experts representing the Government of Sudan is headed by the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Salwa Adam Benya, and includes representatives of ministries and agencies related to humanitarian work.
He added: “Despite the nature of the invitation submitted by the Personal Envoy, which refers to indirect discussions and not a negotiation process, the delegation of the Government of Sudan, a few days after its arrival in Geneva, did not receive any agenda or program for these deliberations.”
He continued: “The delegation was asked to go to the Palais des Congrès in Geneva, contrary to the indirect nature of the indirect discussions, something that the government delegation did not see as calling for, and contradicts the understanding about the lack of media publicity for these discussions, which was requested by the personal representative of the Secretary-General.”
Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan continued to condition the resumption of negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces on their implementation of the Declaration of Principles signed in the city of Jeddah in May 2023.
Graham Abdel Qader stressed that the government “does not see a need to establish a new mediation platform, as it remains committed to the Jeddah platform and its pledges and the necessity of implementing those pledges that were made.”
He stated that the government will not accept dealing with any alternative or parallel body regarding humanitarian relief other than the government entity responsible for that, which is the Humanitarian Aid Commission and the Supreme Committee for Humanitarian Emergencies.