Saudi Arabia on Monday said it expects negotiation talks between Sudan’s warring military factions will reach an effective ceasefire. The talks began in Jeddah on Saturday, reported The BBC.
The Saudi foreign ministry confirmed in a statement that the first face-to-face negotiation meetings had begun and said that both factions recognized the need to ease the suffering of the Sudanese people.
It said that the aim of the talks, sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia, is to stop the fighting and ensure the delivery of relief supplies to the affected people and the restoration of essential services.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the pre-negotiation talks are expected to continue in the coming days in the expectation of reaching an effective short-term ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian assistance.
The Sudanese army as well as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is yet to comment on the talks.
The United Nation’s top humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, also arrived in Jeddah on Sunday for the ceasefire talks.
The meetings in Saudi Arabia are the first since the fighting broke out more than three weeks ago. Several ceasefires have broken down since the fighting began weeks ago.
The conflict began on April 15 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after the failure of an internationally backed plan for a transition to democracy.
Sudan’s army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Burhan, who heads a ruling council installed after the 2021 military coup, has been engaged in a power struggle with Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the RSF.
Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly 450,000 civilians displaced since the fighting began. According to the International Organization for Migration says, more than 115,000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Saudi Arabia has vowed to allocate $100 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan.
