Direct talks between Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will begin in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, according to a joint statement by the United States and Saudi Arabia. The two countries urged both parties to actively engage in talks to reach a ceasefire and end to the conflict that has resulted in hundreds of deaths and displacement of nearly 450,000 civilians. The Sudanese warring generals have sent their envoys to Saudi Arabia for talks, following several failed attempts at a temporary ceasefire.
The struggle between Sudan’s de facto leader Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who leads the regular army, and his deputy-turned-rival Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the paramilitary RSF, has left hundreds dead in three weeks. The leaders of East African nations have voiced their concern over the violations to a ceasefire in Sudan and urged the warring generals to engage in talks.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, the region’s lead mediator, spoke with Burhan and Dagalo on Friday regarding his and the other leaders’ concerns. A seven-day ceasefire was announced earlier this week, but violations have continued. The World Health Organization announced that a shipment of emergency medical supplies for approximately 165,000 people arrived in Port Sudan from Dubai on Saturday.
The shipment, which weighs about 30 tons and includes trauma and emergency surgical equipment, is due to be distributed to 13 health facilities, but distribution will depend on security and access clearances. Qatar also sent a relief flight carrying 40 tons of food, which touched down in Port Sudan before returning with 150 evacuees. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project shows that since the conflict began on April 15, approximately 700 people have died largely in Khartoum and the western Darfur region.
Several countries and international organizations, including Britain, the United Arab Emirates, the League of Arab States, and the African Union, have supported talks in Jeddah. Sudan’s pro-democracy Forces of Freedom and Change political coalition welcomed the start of political talks in Saudi Arabia. The US-Saudi statement called for continued global support to quell the clashes and urged both parties to take into consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people.
