Sudanese officials have reported that the country’s two warring sides have sent their envoys to Saudi Arabia for talks amid rising tensions.
Envoys belonging to the warring sides have been sent to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of vicious fighting that has injured hundreds of people, killed several, and pushed Sudan to the brink of collapse.
The generals of the two opposing sides sent their envoys to Saudi Arabia on May 5. These would be the first negotiations between Sudan’s military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
The clashes that broke out on April 15 will see the first round of negotiations aimed at a shaky ceasefire.
The talks will take place in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Saturday. There have been continuous efforts by Riyadh and other international powers to pressurise both sides to negotiate.
Current situation in Sudan
Three officials, two senior military officials, and one from the paramilitary rival forces, have reported that no timeframe has been decided for the duration of the negotiations.
Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum and other urban cities have been turned into battle fields, and hundreds of people have become homeless. Civilians and aid workers have reported a severe scarcity of food, water, medical care, and basic services.
Concerns are rising for the people who have been displaced and are trapped because of the fighting.
Foreign governments had hurried to evacuate their citizens and diplomats from the war-torn cities. Saudi warships have been transporting the people who are escaping from Port Sudan, on Sudan’s Red Sea coast.
Port Sudan has now become the entry hub for all the aid that Sudan is receiving.
Several fragile ceasefires have been violated over the past three weeks.
The citizens reported that fierce battles shook the country on Friday in areas around the military’s headquarters and the international airport in Khartoum.
Nature of the talks
According to the three officials, the talks in Jeddah would address the need for the opening of humanitarian corridors in Khartoum and the neighbouring city of Omdurman, which have been the epicentres of the fierce battle.
The RSF official added that the talks would be facilitated by Saudi Arabia and America.
The talks are part of an initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia and the United States. It would also address the need to protect and provide protection to civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities.
A system to maintain the ceasefire will be discussed, along with the details of the truce.
However, this meeting may be more exploratory than concrete because this is the first encounter between the two opposing sides. A long-term ceasefire would need more than one meeting.
While this is a positive step, the U.S. envoy to Sudan has cautioned people against having high expectations.
Anthony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, has made the effort to discuss the initiative with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
The Foreign Minister has said that the initiative aims to “prepare the ground” for negotiations to deescalate the tensions in the African country.
Death and disaster
The battle for power in Sudan has killed at least 550 people, including civilians, and as of Monday, more than 4,900 people had been injured, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.
The Sudanese Doctor’s Syndicate, which tracks civilian deaths, has reported 473 civilian casualties and 2,450 injuries.
Every hour, seven boys or girls are killed or injured. So far, at least 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan, and thousands more have crossed the border to escape to safety.
The enormity of how violent this battle has been is severely concerning.
