A top-secret document leaked on Friday has revealed that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had reached a comprehensive peace agreement earlier this year, aimed at ending the protracted conflict in Sudan.
Dated January 20, 2024, the confidential document details a 21-point plan, agreed upon by senior officials from both factions, which outlines a pathway to address the various dimensions of the Sudanese crisis. The agreement highlights the urgent need for national unity, tackling political, security, economic, social, and cultural challenges in an effort to restore peace.
The pact was born from undisclosed negotiations between SAF General al-Burhan’s Deputy Commander, Shams Eddeen Kabashi, and RSF second-in-command, Abdul Rahim Dagalo. Despite the potential for significant progress, the deal has yet to materialize due to a withdrawal by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and head of the SAF.
While the RSF reaffirmed its commitment to the accord on Friday and expressed readiness to move forward, General al-Burhan has consistently obstructed or delayed peace initiatives since the war erupted in 2023. His refusal to act on the Jeddah Declaration, signed in May 2023, is one example of his continued resistance to peace efforts.
At present, peace talks in Geneva are underway, though the SAF has refused to participate, in contrast to the RSF’s active engagement with regional and international mediators. Al-Burhan, under mounting pressure from both regional and global stakeholders, has signaled an intention to prolong the fighting, with statements indicating a readiness to continue the war indefinitely.
The ongoing conflict has claimed over 18,800 lives and left at least 33,000 injured, according to the UN, which has warned that Sudan is approaching a “cataclysmic breaking point.”
Had the leaked agreement been implemented, it could have been a crucial step toward ending the conflict and fostering a more unified, stable future for Sudan. Instead, the war continues to rage, with no immediate resolution in sight.
Here are the key points from the RSF-SAF joint statement from January 2024.
- Unity and Sovereignty: Affirming the importance of Sudan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its land, resources, airspace, and maritime regions.
- Equal Citizenship: Reaffirming that equal citizenship is fundamental to establishing a modern state in Sudan, ensuring that all Sudanese have equal rights and duties.
- End to Conflict: Committing to address the cumulative crises since independence, with the goal of making the April 15 conflict the country’s final war.
- Civil Democratic Governance: Advocating for a civil and democratic governance system where leadership is chosen through free and fair elections following the end of the transitional period.
- Non-alignment: Ensuring that the state remains neutral, recognizing and respecting diverse religions, identities, and cultures.
- Federal System: Supporting a federal system of government that allows all regions and areas to manage their own political, economic, and cultural affairs at the local level.
- Unified National Army: Establishing a unified professional national army, including all military forces and armed struggle movements, free from political or ideological affiliations.
- Professional Security Forces: Building efficient, professional, and non-political security forces, including police and intelligence services, with fair distribution of opportunities.
- Civil State Institutions: Rebuilding civil state institutions to ensure efficiency, professionalism, and justice.
- Modernization of Security Forces: Developing and modernizing the army, security forces, police, and intelligence services after their establishment.
- Dismantling Previous Regimes: Dissolving the June 30, 1989 system within all state institutions.
- Justice and Transparency: Committing to justice, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law.
- Combating Hate Speech: Implementing reforms and policies to combat hate speech, racism, and promote peaceful coexistence.
- Transitional Justice: Pursuing transitional justice through accountability, truth, reconciliation, reparations, and institutional reforms.
- Non-violence Commitment: Criminalizing violence, extremism, and undermining constitutional legitimacy.
- Balanced Foreign Policy: Adopting a balanced foreign policy focused on national interests, regional peace, and counter-terrorism.
- Detaining Escaped Prisoners: Ensuring the arrest of individuals who escaped from prisons at the start of the conflict.
- International Cooperation: Facilitating the appearance of individuals wanted by the International Criminal Court.
- National Dialogue: Engaging in a comprehensive national dialogue involving all civilian and military actors, excluding only the dissolved National Congress Party and its affiliates, to achieve a peaceful democratic transition.
- Humanitarian Relief: Ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid and creating conditions conducive to relief efforts.
- Rebuilding and Recovery: Addressing the humanitarian and economic impact of the war, and rebuilding affected areas.
Over the past 16 months, more than 18,800 people have been killed and at least 33,000 injured in Sudan, according to figures from the UN, which recently warned that the country is at a “cataclysmic breaking point.”