US-sponsored peace talks on Sudan continuing in Switzerland without armed forces group

GENEVA

US-sponsored peace talks for Sudan that began in Geneva on July 14 are continuing this week despite a no-show by the government’s armed forces group, the US special envoy to the African country said on Monday.

“These negotiations are not just going to continue; they are accelerating, and we are going to continue to do everything that we can from here as a really strong negotiating team that includes parties with a lot of history in the country,” Tom Perriello told a virtual press briefing.

“We have the United Nations as well, which has recently done technical talks and engaged the African Union, which has been a key element in so many aspects of this.”

He said the first priority is to look at how to open three roads that collectively have cut off some 20 million people from food and medicine and how they can get that relief.

Talks to end hostilities in Sudan will go ahead without the Sudanese Armed Forces agreeing to participate, but the other warring party, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has a delegation at the talks at an undisclosed venue in Switzerland, said the US envoy.

“We are extremely seized with the urgency of the crisis in Sudan,” said Perriello.

The delegations include members of the UN, African Union, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the US, and Switzerland, he said.

“We came together with an understanding that we had a couple of million people facing famine conditions and starvation, and over 20 million people who are facing an acute food shortage,” he explained.

“We are looking at a number of issues related to humanitarian assistance and civilian protection, and, of course, cessation of hostilities, in keeping with the Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) declarations committed to by the parties.”

Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, and the RSF, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The situation in Sudan remains dire amid a deadly conflict that has killed nearly 18,800 people and displaced close to 10 million people since April 2023, according to UN figures.

Organizers have said the talks could last up to 10 days at an undisclosed location in Switzerland. They are not open to the public.

Saudi Arabia and Switzerland are co-hosts, while the African Union, Egypt, UAE, and United Nations are acting as steering groups.