The army promises to continue fighting despite peace efforts

A senior Sudanese general said the army would continue its offensive despite international efforts for a ceasefire in the 17-month civil war.

“Peace talks can continue, but the army will not stop because of it,” deputy commander-in-chief Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Gabir told the BBC.

He spoke just days after the army launched an operation to regain control of the capital Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The two sides have been at loggerheads since April last year, when their leaders fell out over the country's future. This has led to a humanitarian catastrophe: more than half of the country is suffering from hunger and millions of people are forced to leave their homes.

The general also noted in the wide-ranging interview that the Sudanese authorities had arms deals with Iran and denied that there was a famine in the country.

“If the parties agree (to a ceasefire), the army can stop,” he said, repeating the army's demands that the RSF withdraw from areas it occupies.

“Let the international community put pressure on the militias to stop the fighting and leave the homes they have taken,” he said, adding he was “more confident” now that the army had the momentum.

New diplomatic attempts to negotiate a cessation of hostilities have failed, US-Sudan envoy Tom Perriello admitted this week.

“The situation is extremely dire and those best placed to stop it seem more intent on accelerating it,” he told reporters in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

He noted some improvement in humanitarian access, noting that a few hundred trucks carrying aid were able to reach areas previously blocked.

“But of course we have to reach a significantly different scale,” he said.

For many months, the army had prevented the delivery of aid through a key RSF-controlled border post between Chad and Darfur. In August the resumption was agreed and the RSF promised to facilitate deliveries in the areas under its control.

General Gabir dismissed allegations that the army was still hesitant to approve the necessary documentation for humanitarian groups, listing the number of visas and permits issued.

He stressed that the RSF had looted humanitarian goods and was still preventing aid from reaching the besieged town of el-Fasher in North Darfur.

And he repeated the army's denial that there was a famine in the country and again blamed the RSF for the hunger crisis.

In August, a UN-backed group of experts concluded that there was a famine for displaced people in the Zamzam camp outside al-Fasher. She was able to make the decision because she had the data, but said other parts of Sudan were also at risk.

However, the Sudanese government has not made an official famine declaration, which could trigger a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing agencies to provide cross-border aid.

The army is focusing on Darfur's border with Chad because it says it is a transit port for mercenaries and weapons supplied particularly by the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE's alleged support for the RSF “makes a very big difference in the conduct of the war,” General Gabril said. “Because the RSF is a militia and it is supported with advanced, high-tech weapons. But at the end of the day they won’t win the war, this is a militia.”

The UAE denies such support for the RSF, but the UN says there is credible evidence.

A recent investigation published in The New York Times presented extensive details.

And a report by New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch documented visual evidence of weapons from the United Arab Emirates, as well as China, Iran, Russia and Serbia, with manufacturing dates falling within the last year.

General Gabir indicated that the army had discussed arms purchases with Iran.

“You can find guns if you have money and payment facilities,” he said.

“Iran will not give you weapons unless you pay cash. And we don’t have cash…The most important thing is that we are a government and we have the right to negotiate with anyone.”

The general rejected war crimes allegations made in a recent U.N. report that cited evidence of indiscriminate bombings, attacks on schools and hospitals, and arbitrary detentions and torture.

“The Sudanese army is not an angel,” he said. “You can commit crimes, but I’m talking about individuals.”

He wouldn't dare predict how long the war would last – another Sudanese defense official, when asked, cited America's 20-year fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan as a comparison.

All previous Sudanese civil wars have lasted many years, says the Sudan War Monitor, a group of researchers who track the conflict.

“The main reason this is a protracted war is that Sudan is a huge country and both warring parties are large, so it is impossible for a single battle to decide the outcome of the war,” it said an email from the BBC.

For General Gabir, the end game was clear: “Sudan will win and Sudan will be rebuilt.”