Sudan's head of state and army chief General Abdel Fattah al Burhan is prepared to take any step to solve an ongoing standoff with the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces [RSF], a group of mediators including leaders of other paramilitary groups said in a statement.
"We reassure citizens that the crisis is on the way to being solved," they said on early on Saturday.
"Our leadership is more aware than to lead the country to a civil war where even the victor will lose."
Tension between the army and RSF escalated on Thursday after the RSF moved some of its forces near a military airport in the northern city of Merowe, following weeks of deployments, moves the army said happened without its consent.
The army then warned of a possible confrontation between the two forces, in the most public sign of long-simmering disagreements that are hampering efforts to restore civilian rule.
The RSF, which together with the army overthrew long-ruling leader Omar al Bashir in 2019, began redeploying units in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere amid talks last month on its integration into the military under a transition plan leading to new elections.
That dispute has delayed the signing of a final agreement with political parties and the formation of a civilian government.
Following Thursday's warning from the army, several local and international players stepped forward with offers of mediation, including Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, Darfur Governor Minni Minawi and Sovereign Council member Malik Agar, three former rebel leaders who received posts following a 2020 peace deal.
'No country has two armies'
Talk of a potential confrontation and the sight of armoured vehicles and military trucks in Khartoum streets have made citizens fearful, several told the Reuters news agency. Many blamed both sides.
"They are fighting over power and plundering the country, we are fighting for food and drink and education and healthcare," said Nafisa Suleiman, sitting at a vegetable stall.
"The military is supposed to protect people and now they are our greatest danger," said 35-year-old Isam Hassan. "The RSF should be under the military's control. No country has two armies," he added.
The Forces of Freedom and Change [FFC], the main civilian coalition, alongside pro-democracy resistance committees and labour unions accused Bashir's now-outlawed National Congress Party (NCP), which has a presence in the military, of "sowing discord" in a rare joint statement.
