NAIROBI, April 12. /TASS/. Russia is ready to assist in the settlement of the conflict in Sudan, the embassy is in contact with the country's official authorities, Russian Ambassador in Khartoum Andrey Chernovol told TASS.
"We support all efforts aimed at the earliest peaceful settlement of the conflict in the interests of the Sudanese people and are ready to assist them. I would like to emphasize that the political settlement of the crisis is a matter for the Sudanese themselves. For our part, we are open to any assistance in finding an acceptable solution," the diplomat said.
Chernovol recalled that the Russian embassy is currently located in the temporary capital of Sudan, Port Sudan, and diplomats are in contact with the country's official authorities. "Important for both sides remains interaction and coordination on multilateral platforms, first of all in the UN," he pointed out, adding that the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RRF), which opposes the official authorities, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has not appealed to the Russian side for assistance in resolving the conflict, while "outside Sudan he is actively in contact with both Westerners and Africans."
According to the diplomat, Sudanese society has unconditionally supported the national army, while the RSF has become firmly associated with foreign mercenaries and their external sponsors. This is supported by the fact that three-quarters of the "rebels" are fighters from African countries.
The situation in Sudan escalated amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), who is al-Burhan’s deputy on the council.
The main points of contention between the two military organizations pertain to the timeline and methods for unifying the armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should be appointed as commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is al-Burhan’s preferred option, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists.
On April 15, 2023, armed clashes between the rival military factions erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. The conflict has left thousands dead and tens of thousands injured. The warring parties held a series of consultations in Jeddah in 2023. A ceasefire between the army and special forces has been repeatedly announced, but none of the agreements reached have been fully implemented.