Sudan’s army chief, paramilitary head ready to de-escalate tensions - mediators

FILE PHOTO: Sudan's ousted President Omar al-Bashir is seen inside the defendant's cage during his and some of his former allies trial over the 1989 military coup that brought the autocrat to power in 1989, at a courthouse in Khartoum, Sudan September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

KHARTOUM (Reuters) -General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of Sudan's army, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a powerful Sudanese paramilitary group, are prepared to take steps to de-escalate tensions between their forces, mediators said in statements on Friday and early Saturday.

The army on Thursday warned of a possible confrontation between the two forces following mobilisations by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, in the most public sign of long-simmering disagreements that are hampering efforts to restore civilian rule.