By John Ikani
The deadline for Sudanese civilian groups and the ruling junta to establish a civilian-led transitional government has passed without an agreement on security reforms and other issues.
The parties had set a timeline that would have seen a new prime minister and other positions announced by Tuesday.
However, the deadline was missed after disagreements arose over the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the army, preventing the parties from signing a final transition deal.
The disagreement has been ongoing for some time, with the RSF’s deputy leader, Gen Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, and military chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan divided on the issue.
A joint committee from the military and RSF has suspended talks for one day to hold further consultations.
According to reports from the Paris-based Sudan Tribune news site, the RSF has sent around 14 armored vehicles to the capital, Khartoum, “in anticipation of any emergency”.
The vehicles had been positioned in Zurq locality on the border with Libya and are now en route to Khartoum as part of the RSF’s plans to deploy its forces in the city.
Similarly, the Sudanese army has been mobilizing troops in the capital in recent weeks, which has led to fears of potential confrontations between the army and the RSF.
With tensions mounting and fears of possible confrontations between the army and RSF, it remains unclear how the situation will be resolved.
