Riyadh and Washington Call for Negotiations to End Conflict in Sudan

Publication Date: June 04, 2023, 23:43, Kazakhstan

The governments of Saudi Arabia and the United States have called for the parties involved in the ongoing conflict in Sudan to return to the negotiating table to reach a new ceasefire. The call was made on the eve of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to the Kingdom. Recently, the Kingdom and the United States confirmed their interest in continuing negotiations with delegations from the two conflicting parties in Sudan.

Delegations Remain in Jeddah Despite Ceasefire Suspension

The Saudi Foreign Ministry has confirmed that delegations from the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces remain in Jeddah, despite the suspension of negotiations and the end of the ceasefire. Talks have focused on ways to facilitate humanitarian assistance and reach an agreement on short-term steps both sides must take before talks resume in Jeddah. The parties must fulfill their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration (May 11) to protect civilians in Sudan to build a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Heavy Fighting Continues in Sudan

The conflict in Sudan has entered its eighth week, and the people of Khartoum have been awakened by the sound of falling bombs and gunfire. Local media reports that the Darfur region, which borders Chad, is also the scene of heavy fighting between the warring factions. Fighting has intensified in recent days after a temporary truce brokered by Saudi Arabia between the army of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces under the command of Muhammad Hamdan Daghalo met the fate of its predecessors with its complete collapse.

Failure to Deliver on Promises of a Field Truce

Since the conflict began on April 15, both sides have failed to deliver on repeated promises of a field truce that would allow civilians to leave war zones or provide safe passage for humanitarian aid. More than 1,800 people have died since fighting began in mid-April, according to the Armed Conflict Sites and Events Data Project. However, medical professionals, aid agencies, and international organizations have repeatedly warned that the real toll is much higher, due to the presence of bodies in hard-to-reach places or the inability of some of the victims to get to medical centers for treatment.

US and Saudi Arabia Ready to Resume Formal Negotiations

The United States expressed its readiness to resume talks in Jeddah with the leaders of the two warring camps in Sudan if there are “serious” intentions in terms of respecting the ceasefire. On Thursday, the White House announced that the United States would impose new economic sanctions and visa restrictions against “aggressors” in Sudan after the army backed out of recent talks with the Rapid Support Forces and accused it of bombing an old market in the Sudan area capital.

UN Security Council Extends Mission to Sudan by Six Months

Living conditions in the capital have worsened as entire neighborhoods have been cut off from water and electricity, and three-quarters of hospitals in war zones have shut down. Residents struggle to provide food, and the situation is particularly dire in Western Darfur, home to about a quarter of Sudan’s population and still reeling from a devastating two-decade war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and more than two million displaced. Hundreds of civilians were killed, villages and markets were set on fire, and relief facilities looted, forcing tens of thousands to seek refuge in neighboring Chad. On Friday, the UN Security Council extended the United Nations political mission to Sudan by six months after Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan accused UN envoy Volker Perthes of helping fuel the conflict.