GENEVA: US-sponsored talks on securing a ceasefire in the devastating conflict in Sudan kicked off in Switzerland on Wednesday, despite the Sudanese government staying away.
War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army under General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The talks are being convened by Tom Perriello, the US special envoy for Sudan, who said after the opening session that it was “high time for the guns to be silenced.”
The talks, which could last up to 10 days, are being held behind closed doors in an undisclosed location in Switzerland.
In a joint statement, Saudi Arabia, the US, Switzerland, the UAE, Egypt, the African Union and the United Nations said on first day of talks that diplomatic efforts aim to achieve ceasefire in Sudan and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The efforts are “in compliance with the results of the previous Jeddah talks, other endeavors, and international humanitarian law,” the statement read.
While the RSF delegation is taking part, the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) are unhappy with the format arranged by Washington.
“We have stressed that they have a responsibility to be there, and we’ll continue to make that clear,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said of the Sudanese army.
Patel, speaking to reporters in Washington, said that the United States felt it needed to do all it can to address “one of the most dire humanitarian situations in the world.”
Perriello earlier warned the army that “the world is watching” as it stays away.
The talks are co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations acting as a steering group.
Without the SAF, other attendees will press on with the talks’ agenda.
“Our focus is to move forward to achieve a cessation of hostilities, enhance humanitarian access and establish enforcement mechanisms that deliver concrete results,” Perriello said.
The brutal conflict has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The fighting has forced one in five people to flee their homes, while tens of thousands have died.
More than 25 million across the country — more than half its population — face acute hunger.
Vittorio Oppizzi, Sudan program manager for the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said both parties had “manipulated” humanitarian access, in violation of international law.
He told reporters MSF was well used to operating in conflict zones, and safe and unhindered access “should not be dependent on a cessation to hostility or a solution to the conflict.”
With AFP
