Sudan’s army reportedly suspends participation in Saudi-hosted cease-fire talks

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudan’s army on Wednesday suspended participation in Saudi Arabia-hosted cease-fire talks with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

“The General Command of the Armed Forces has decided to suspend the current talks in Jeddah due to the rebel militia's lack of commitment in implementing any of the terms of the agreement and its continued violation of the cease-fire,” the army said in a statement.

The statement came shortly after several Sudanese media outlets reported that the army had decided to suspend its participation in the talks with the RSF.

The reports emerged as fierce clashes erupted on Wednesday between the army and RSF fighters in the capital of Khartoum and El-Obeid City, the capital of North Kordofan state.

There was no comment from the RSF on the army's statement.

A 7-day cease-fire brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States between the two sides expired on Monday. The conflicting rivals agreed to extend the agreement for five more days.

At least 863 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in clashes between the army and the RSF since April 15, according to local medics.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than one million people have been internally displaced by the conflict.

A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF over the paramilitary group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

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."

Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar and Ikram Kouachi