Hemedti, Hamdok Sign Addis Ababa Declaration in Hope of Ending Sudan War 

RSF leader Hemedti and former PM Hamdok sign the Addis Ababa Declaration on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
RSF leader Hemedti and former PM Hamdok sign the Addis Ababa Declaration on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Hemedti, Hamdok Sign Addis Ababa Declaration in Hope of Ending Sudan War 

RSF leader Hemedti and former PM Hamdok sign the Addis Ababa Declaration on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
RSF leader Hemedti and former PM Hamdok sign the Addis Ababa Declaration on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Tuesday it was open to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire through talks with the Sudanese army as it signed a declaration with the Taqadum civilian coalition and invited the army to do the same.

A nine-month war in Sudan, which now faces the world's largest displacement crisis, has devastated the country's infrastructure and prompted warnings of famine.

Attempts to end the conflict through negotiations, led by the United States and Saudi Arabia, have so far come to nothing and previous agreements to protect civilians have gone unheeded.

By signing the so-called Addis Ababa Declaration, which is intended to serve as the basis for further negotiations and a political settlement, the RSF has made its clearest commitment to ending the war so far.

"If the army came with this same document I would sign it immediately," RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said of the declaration, which also included commitments to return millions of displaced people to their homes, create safe passages and include civilians in peace talks.

But with the RSF, which is accused by the US of crimes against humanity, gaining an upper hand in recent weeks, it is unclear to what extent Dagalo will implement the declaration's commitments. He apologized on Tuesday for violations and has said rogue actors will be dealt with.

Meanwhile, artillery fire between the two sides in the capital Khartoum has intensified in recent days.

It was not immediately clear whether the army, much of which is hostile to Sudan's pro-democracy movement and accuses it of being allied with the RSF, would welcome the declaration.

Dagalo, who is known as Hemedti, denied any such alliance.

"We invited the leadership of the armed forces. We expect, we hope they will respond to our invitation positively," Taqadum coalition leader and former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said.

Hamdok was ousted by the RSF and the army in a joint coup in October 2021.

While Hemedti and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have accepted an invitation by regional body IGAD to a meeting, this has yet to materialize, with Hemedti citing issues on his side.

The war was sparked by a dispute between the two forces, which took power in 2019 after ousting Omar al-Bashir, over their integration, which the new declaration calls for.

"There is no way Sudan, I think, stays as a peaceful country if we have this multiplicity of armies. So the aim is to have one army," Hamdok told Reuters.



Lebanese Red Cross Will Try Again to Remove Bodies from Israeli Strike Site

A picture taken from the area of Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon shows explosions over buildings in the town of Khiam, during Israeli bombardment on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
A picture taken from the area of Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon shows explosions over buildings in the town of Khiam, during Israeli bombardment on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
TT

Lebanese Red Cross Will Try Again to Remove Bodies from Israeli Strike Site

A picture taken from the area of Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon shows explosions over buildings in the town of Khiam, during Israeli bombardment on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
A picture taken from the area of Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon shows explosions over buildings in the town of Khiam, during Israeli bombardment on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

The Lebanese Red Cross will send another convoy Tuesday to Wata al-Khiam in southern Lebanon to search for and remove the bodies of 15 people killed in an Israeli airstrike, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said.

Paramedics accessed the site of the strike two days prior and removed five other bodies, but needed to return with larger vehicles to remove the rubble.

The NNA said the deployment is in coordination with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, which is the usual procedure.

The Red Cross did not immediately comment on the news, but expressed concern in recent weeks over several instances where Israel has struck in or close to areas where they have deployed paramedics to search for wounded people and casualties.

The Israeli military said it issued warnings to the residents there in late October to evacuate ahead of strikes on Hezbollah militant targets, and told ambulances to avoid the area.