GENEVA — Sudan’s paramilitary leader has announced plans to attend ceasefire negotiations in Switzerland next month, hosted by the United States and Saudi Arabia.
General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces fighting Sudan’s army, expressed hope on social media Tuesday evening that the talks would be an “important step” toward peace and stability in Sudan and the creation of a new state based on “justice, equality and federal rule.”
“We share with the international community the goal of achieving a complete ceasefire across the country and facilitating humanitarian access for all in need,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Talks are expected to begin on August 14 at an as yet undisclosed location in Switzerland.
The office of the spokesman for the Sudanese army, which is led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, told The Associated Press that no decision has been made yet on whether to send a delegation to the talks.
The US State Department said the talks build on talks between the two sides that failed late last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
It was said that the African Union, Egypt, Sudan’s neighbor the United Arab Emirates – which is accused of supporting Dagalo’s forces with weapons, a claim denied by UAE officials — and the United Nations would act as observers.
“The talks in Switzerland are focused on achieving a nationwide end to violence, enabling humanitarian access for all who need it, and developing a robust monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure implementation of any agreement,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement announcing the talks on Tuesday.
“These talks are not intended to address broader political issues,” he added.
Sudan got into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital Khartoum, and spread to other regions including Darfur. The UN says more than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 wounded. Human rights activists say the death toll could be much higher.
The war also created the world’s largest crisis of displacement with more than 11 million people forced to flee their homes, as well as allegations of widespread sexual violence and possible crimes against humanity. International experts recently warned that 755,000 people face famine in the coming months.
Valentin Clivaz, a spokesman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry, said in an email that Switzerland would co-host the talks and “commends all efforts aimed at resolving the conflict through negotiations.”
Last week, the UN Secretary-General’s envoy to Sudan visited organized a series of indirect talks in Geneva between the two sides, focusing on issues surrounding humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians across Sudan.