Addis Ababa: After nearly three months of brutal fighting, the Sudanese government refused to participate in a regional meeting to put an end to it on Monday, blaming Kenya, which was in charge of the talks, for favouring the opposing paramilitaries.
Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese army, and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander, were engaged in a power struggle that erupted into war in the middle of April and has since resulted in the displacement of millions of people.
While fighting continued to rage throughout Sudan, the east African regional group IGAD had invited the adversaries to a meeting in Ethiopia's capital on Monday. Although the RSF sent a representative to the "quartet" meeting presided over by Kenya, South Sudan, Djibouti, and Ethiopia, neither Burhan nor Daglo personally attended the talks in Addis Abeba.
Also Read: Turkey releases Sweden NATO's bid will facilitate the summit
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, roughly 3,000 people have died in the violence since April 15. However, the actual death toll is likely much higher because some areas of the country are still inaccessible.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, an additional three million people have either been internally displaced or have migrated across borders. The UN warned on Sunday that Sudan was "on the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region," despite numerous diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting producing only fleeting respites.
Also Read: NATO struggles with Ukraine's bid at a summit near Russia
The United States and Saudi Arabia have previously mediated truce agreements, but the east African bloc now wants to take the lead.
The foreign ministry of Sudan, however, announced on Monday that its delegation would not take part until Kenya's request to serve as the talks' chair was granted. According to the statement, the ministry had requested that "Kenyan President William Ruto (be) replaced... in particular because of his partiality."
In a statement issued following their meeting on Monday, the quartet lamented "the regrettable absence of the delegation of the Sudanese Armed Forces in spite of the invitation and confirmation of attendance." While the RSF criticised the army's "irresponsible behaviour" in a statement, Daglo had sent a political adviser to the talks in Addis Abeba.
The quartet decided to "mobilise and concentrate the efforts of all stakeholders towards delivering a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the warring parties," according to a statement from the group.
Additionally, it demanded that the opposing generals "immediately stop the violence and sign an unconditional and indefinite cease-fire."
According to IGAD, it will ask the African Union to investigate the possibility of sending the East Africa Standby Force—which is typically tasked with conducting election observation missions—to Sudan "for the protection of civilians and... humanitarian access."
Former Sudanese rebel leader Mubarak Ardol, who is now allied with Burhan, praised the army for not attending the meeting and denounced "a plan to occupy Sudan" and efforts to "promote military interference."
For meetings with Sudanese and regional officials, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee was also present on Monday in the capital of Ethiopia.
She had urged the supporters of Burhan and Daglo in a statement on Sunday to "immediately end the fighting."
Phee continued, "We join the region's call to stop any military assistance or outside military interference that would only serve to escalate and prolong the conflict.
According to experts, the army and the RSF are supported outside of Sudan. Burhan is supported by neighbouring Egypt, whereas Daglo is supported by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Residents on the ground reported battles and airstrikes in a number of Khartoum neighbourhoods.
Also Read: King Charles III and Biden have tea and discuss the environment
"Rockets fell on houses of civilians," one individual told AFP.
Witnesses claimed to have seen fighting also in El-Obeid, the commercial centre and capital of North Kordofan, which is located 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of Khartoum.
In the Blue Nile state, close to Ethiopia, an army source claimed that troops "pushed back against an attack" by rebel forces.