The Sudanese military has sent a delegation to the Saudi city of Jeddah for ceasefire talks as part of a joint Saudi-US initiative, the military said in a statement.
The delegation left for Jeddah on Friday evening after both the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said they would only discuss a humanitarian ceasefire and not negotiations to end the conflict in Sudan.
The army delegation will discuss “details of the ceasefire being extended” with its paramilitary enemies, the Sudanese army said.
The joint initiative aims to “reduce tensions” in Sudan, a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry said on Friday.
The RSF would also send a delegation for the talks, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing a paramilitary official.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said sources in the Sudanese military have confirmed that a delegation has left for Jeddah, including three army officers – including a general – and an ambassador.
“The purpose of these talks … is to focus on the humanitarian conditions here in the capital … and to open humanitarian corridors for those who need help,” Morgan said.
Airstrikes and gunfire continued to shake Sudan’s capital on Friday, despite efforts for a lasting ceasefire.
Regular army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had endorsed a week-long ceasefire brokered by South Sudan on Wednesday, but early on Friday the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said they had signed a previously brokered truce with extended for three days. Saudi mediation.
Several ceasefires have been agreed since fighting broke out between the rival security forces on April 15, but none have been respected.
‘It must end’
Hundreds have been killed in nearly three weeks of fighting between the forces of Sudan’s de facto leader al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF.
The fighting continued a day after US President Joe Biden threatened sanctions against those responsible for “threatening the peace, security and stability of Sudan” and “undermining Sudan’s democratic transition”.
The North African country had suffered decades of sanctions during the reign of former president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in a coup in 2019 following massive street protests.
“The violence in Sudan is a tragedy – and a betrayal of the Sudanese people’s clear demand for civilian rule and a transition to democracy. It has to end,” Biden said.
Witnesses reported continued airstrikes and explosions in several parts of Khartoum, including near the airport, on Friday.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the conflict has so far claimed the lives of about 700 people, mostly in Khartoum and the western region of Darfur.
The UN Human Rights Council said it would hold a special session on May 11 on the situation in Sudan.
The meeting “to address the human rights implications of the ongoing conflict” will take place in Geneva following a request filed Friday by the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway and the United States, which has so far been supported by 52 countries. supported, the council said.
The UN children’s organization UNICEF warned on Friday that “the situation in Sudan has become fatal for a frighteningly large number of children”.
Aid workers are also struggling to get much-needed supplies to the areas affected by violence.
At least 18 aid workers have been killed in the fierce urban fighting, according to the International Medical Corps.
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Thursday that Washington expected the conflict to continue for a long time.
The fighting would “likely be protracted as both sides believe they can win militarily and have little incentive to come to the negotiating table,” she told a Senate hearing.
“Both sides are seeking outside sources of support, which if successful, is likely to intensify the conflict and create greater potential for spillover challenges in the region.”
A spokesman for the UN Secretary-General warned on Friday that the conflict could cause hunger and malnutrition for 19 million people in the coming months.
The World Food Program “predicts that the number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between two and 2.5 million people. That will increase the number to a total of 19 million people in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Antonio Guterres.
Nearly 450,000 civilians have fled their homes since the fighting began, the International Organization for Migration said, including more than 115,000 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries.