Saudi Arabia to host talks between Sudan conflict parties
The United States and Saudi Arabia said Jeddah will host talks between Sudan's warring military factions. The talks will begin on Saturday.
The leaders of Sudan’s warring military factions have agreed to start preliminary talks in Jeddah aimed at ending the conflict, according to Saudi Arabia and the US.
Saudi Arabia announced that the representatives of the two countries, the army and the RSF will start direct talks in Jeddah on Saturday, in the negotiations carried out jointly with the United States.
Sudanese people have been subjected to violence for weeks amid clashes between the two sides.
Washington and Riyadh urged both parties to actively engage in talks toward a cease-fire and an end to the conflict.
“(We) urge both parties to take in consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people,” the two countries said in a press release on Friday.
MORE THAN 550 PEOPLE HAVE DIE
Fighting between two rival generals -- army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo -- broke out April 15, leaving more than 550 people dead.
RSF does not want to join the army. That's why the conflict with the military is growing.
A temporary ceasefire is currently allowing foreign nations to evacuate their citizens – but locals face deteriorating conditions and shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel.
NO GOVERNMENT SINCE 2021
Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.”
The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.
(CNN - AA)