Sudan’s military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have sent envoys to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at strengthening a shaky ceasefire after three weeks of intense fighting that has left hundreds dead and pushed the country to the brink of collapse. The talks, taking place in Jeddah on Saturday, will be the first between the warring parties since clashes broke out on April 15.
They will discuss the opening of humanitarian corridors in Khartoum and Omdurman and provide protection to civilian infrastructure, including health facilities. The United States and Saudi Arabia proposed the initiative, and their officials will facilitate the talks. The United Nations envoy in Sudan sees the move as a positive sign but cautions that the meeting may be exploratory rather than concrete.
Fighting has turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields, with increasing concern for those trapped and displaced. Aid workers and civilians have reported a dire lack of basic services, medical care, food, and water. Foreign governments have rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals from Sudan. Saudi warships have been ferrying those fleeing from Port Sudan, on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, which has now become the entry hub for aid sent to the embattled nation.
Several fragile and often violated ceasefires over the past three weeks have failed to stop the fighting. Fierce battles raged on Friday in areas around the military’s headquarters and the international airport in Khartoum, according to residents. The battle for control between General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo has so far killed at least 550 people, including civilians, and injured more than 4,900, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.
Aid groups warn of a worsening humanitarian situation as the power struggle puts millions of Sudanese in the line of gun battles, artillery bombardments, and airstrikes. So far, at least 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan, and tens of thousands more have crossed to neighbouring countries.
The UN World Food Program projects that the number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between two and 2.5 million people in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues. The UN refugee agency has announced that more than €400 million will be needed to support an estimated 860,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing Sudan to five countries affected by the emergency.
The talks in Jeddah between Sudan’s military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces offer hope for a lasting ceasefire, but more than one meeting will be necessary to achieve this. While the move is a positive sign, it is an exploratory rather than concrete meeting, according to the UN envoy in Sudan. With the humanitarian situation worsening, aid groups warn that millions of Sudanese people are at risk of food insecurity, displacement, and injury or death from the ongoing conflict.
SOURCE:Ref – euronews
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