US, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland invite Sudan’s warring parties to ceasefire talks

African country is on brink of famine as military and Rapid Support Forces remain locked in bitter conflict

A street in the city of Omdurman, which has been damaged by the civil war in Sudan. Reuters

The US, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland have invited the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to another round of ceasefire talks as the conflict rages.

“The United States calls upon the SAF [Sudanese Armed Forces] and the RSF to attend the talks and approach them constructively, with the imperative to save lives, stop the fighting and create a path to a negotiated political solution to the conflict,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The invitation follows talks in Geneva with the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, where the warring sides spoke to the envoy separately.

The military and the RSF have been in conflict since April last year, when a power struggle between Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his one-time ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary group, turned into war.

Gen Dagalo said he welcomed Mr Blinken's invitation to negotiations.

"I declare our participation in the upcoming ceasefire talks on August 14, 2024, in Switzerland," the paramilitary commander wrote in a post on X.

"We are ready to engage in these talks constructively and look forward to them being a significant step towards peace, stability and the establishment of a new Sudanese state based on justice, equality and federal governance."

There was no immediate response from the Sudanese military.

The UN estimates that more than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured since the conflict began 15 months ago.

A recent report by Integrated Food Security Phase Classification stated that 25.6 million people in Sudan do not have access to sufficient levels of food, and that 14 areas across the African nation are at risk of famine.

More than 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of the violence, creating the largest displacement crisis in the world.

“There is a horrific human tragedy taking place there right now,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“There's two parties that continue to fight each other and put civilians at risk and bring civilians not just into direct harm, but harm through the humanitarian crisis that has been created.

"So we're looking for anything we can do to get these talks restarted and try to get a ceasefire.”

Washington and Riyadh tried to broker a ceasefire in the months after the outbreak of hostilities but the warring sides broke off communication at the end of last year.

Subsequent efforts have failed to deliver any tangible results.

“The talks in Switzerland aim to reach a nationwide cessation of violence, enabling humanitarian access to all those in need, and develop a robust monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure implementation of any agreement,” Mr Blinken said.