The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Djibouti announced on Wednesday that the highly anticipated face-to-face meeting between the top commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has been postponed for “technical reasons.” The meeting, facilitated by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, was scheduled to take place in Djibouti on Thursday.

This meeting would have been the first direct encounter between General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo since the conflict in Sudan began over eight months ago. Djibouti stated in a letter to IGAD member states that the meeting, originally scheduled for December 28, 2023, has been postponed to early January 2024, with the exact dates to be communicated later.

The ongoing war in Sudan has caused immense devastation, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions.

The recent military gains by the RSF in various parts of Sudan have further complicated the peace process. While Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the RSF leader was unable to attend the meeting due to technical reasons, the RSF adviser dismissed this as “fake news” and stated that the RSF commander had agreed to meet and was en route to the region.