Sudan's army chief rejects peace deal without paramilitary forces' withdrawal

Sudan's military and civilian leaders are seen at the signing ceremony of a political framework agreement in Khartoum, Sudan, Dec. 5, 2022. [Xinhua]

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Thursday said the army would not sign any peace agreement that does not include the withdrawal of the paramilitary Rapid ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/africa/article/2001471102/sudan-violence-ruto-kiir-and-guelleh-to-broker-peace-deal-in-khartoum"> Support Forces <(RSF) from public facilities and citizens' homes.

Al-Burhan, also the chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, made the remarks when addressing officers and soldiers in eastern Sudan's Red Sea State, the sovereign council said in a statement.

"We will not sign a peace agreement that embodies humiliation for the armed forces and the Sudanese people," Al-Burhan said.

"Any agreement must include a ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001385862/will-sudan-s-peace-deal-with-rebels-work">ceasefire and withdrawal< of the rebels from public facilities, hospitals, and citizens' homes," he noted, adding that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) would keep fighting to defeat the "rebel militia."

Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF since April 15. More than 12,000 people have been killed in the fighting, according to a statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in early December.