Blinken discusses need to end Sudan war with army chief

Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan said there will be no peace in Sudan until the military defeats the Rapid Support Forces

Members of the Sudanese army's Special Mission Forces battalion hold a parade in Karima. AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the need to urgently end the war in Sudan with Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in a phone call on Tuesday.

The State Department said Mr Blinken discussed a resumption of peace negotiations with Gen Al Burhan and the need to protect civilians and defuse hostilities in Al Fasher.

The two also addressed ways to “enable unhindered humanitarian access, including cross border and cross line, to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people”.

Sudan has descended into crisis since the war between the army led by Gen Al Burhan, the country's de facto leader, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by his former ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, began in April last year.

Thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict.

Recent attacks around Al Fasher have broken a local truce that protected it from the wider war.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it will host a conference next month bringing together Sudan's civilian political groups with other regional and global parties.

The conference aims to produce an agreement between Sudan's civilian groups on ways to build a comprehensive and permanent peace.

Saudi Arabia was expected to host a round of peace talks earlier this month in Jeddah, where the kingdom and the US have already mediated several rounds of negotiations without success.

However, Gen Al Burhan has said there will be no peace in Sudan until the military defeats the RSF, throwing any chances of a resumption of ceasefire talks into doubt.