Hommam Al Nassim 
Sudanese Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim confirmed that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Abdul Aziz al-Hilu insisted on the participation of the Rapid Support Forces in the negotiations in Juba.
The negotiations aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to those affected by the military conflict in South and West Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
South Sudan’s mediation suspended negotiating sessions indefinitely because the parties failed to reach an agreement on the delivery of aid.
The Minister of Defense and head of the Government negotiating delegation expressed the Government’s regret at the intransigent attitude of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and its refusal to sign the humanitarian delivery document.
Ibrahim criticized the movement’s insistence on involving the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the negotiation process, reflecting the movement’s identification with the militia’s grave violations against the Sudanese people.
He explained that the movement did not submit any appropriate draft agreement and responded constructively to the government’s draft without addressing the core issues related to the delivery of aid.
The Minister of Defense also stressed that humanitarian work must be far from political or security goals and accused the SPLM of rejecting all documents and proposals submitted by the government or the mediation committee, and instead proposing to sign unilateral agreements with the United Nations, which contradicts the principles of respect for the sovereignty of states in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
The Sudanese military has submitted a mediation paper that includes a cessation of hostilities to pass humanitarian aid through land and air corridors, with a watchdog, the Government of South Sudan.
The government delegation proposed using the towns of Kadugli in South Kordofan, El Obeid in North Kordofan, and the town of Kurmuk bordering Ethiopia as land and air crossings for the delivery of aid, but the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement refused, demanding that relief be delivered to all war-affected Sudanese states simultaneously and without discrimination.
South Kordofan state has been severely affected by the ongoing war between the army and the RSF since April 15, 2023.
The RSF controls the main road leading to the town of Kadugli from North Kordofan, while the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement controls the areas between Dilling and Kadugli, leading to a siege of Kadugli.
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