Global Courant 2023-05-11 01:35:48
As negotiators participate in ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia, the United States is “cautiously optimistic” about concluding a ceasefire to deliver humanitarian aid to the country, a State Department official said. Affairs.
Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told senators at a briefing on Wednesday that she had spoken with US officials attending negotiations in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah.
The talks, which began on Saturday, involve members of two rival groups: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“Our goal for these talks was very narrowly focused: first, to agree on a statement of humanitarian principles and then to get a ceasefire long enough to allow the steady delivery of much-needed services,” Nuland said.
“If this phase is successful – and I spoke to our negotiators this morning who are cautiously optimistic – it would allow for extensive talks with additional local, regional and international stakeholders to finally end hostilities and then return to a civilian-led management. as the Sudanese people have been demanding for years.”
Violence in Sudan erupted on April 15, as two top generals and their military forces battled for power and control over Sudan’s resources.
The fighting between the SAF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, which is loyal to General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, has so far left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Despite the talks in Jeddah, fighting and airstrikes intensified in the capital Khartoum and surrounding areas on Wednesday, residents reported.
“Since 6.30am there have been heavy airstrikes and RPG fire,” Ahmed, a resident of North Khartoum’s Shambat district, told Reuters news agency.
“We are lying on the ground and there are people living near us who have run to the Nile to protect themselves under the dike.”
Witnesses also reported seeing bodies in the streets as most hospitals have been shut down due to deteriorating security.
“Our only hope is that the negotiations in Jeddah succeed in ending this hell and returning to normal life, and stop the war, the looting, the theft and chaos,” said Ahmed. Ali, a 25-year-old resident of Khartoum. .
Human rights groups warn of a humanitarian catastrophe if the violence continues.
The United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) warned on Wednesday that as many as 2.5 million people could suffer more hunger in Sudan as a result of the conflict.
“This would push acute food insecurity in Sudan to record levels, with more than 19 million people affected, two-fifths of the population,” WFP said in a statement.
The warring factions have agreed to previous US-brokered ceasefires, but the deals have rarely been struck with residents reporting continued fighting.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has said it wants to play an active role in Sudan with the immediate aim of reducing violence.
On Monday, the State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed “recent developments” in Sudan with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen.
After years of animosity, ties between Khartoum and Washington had been heating up since the Sudanese military removed President Omar al-Bashir from power in 2019, following months of anti-government protests.
The two countries restored diplomatic ties in 2020. Sudan also agreed to normalize relations with Israel and was removed from the US list of “state sponsors of terrorism”.
The Sudanese army staged a coup against Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s civilian government in October 2021, leading to his resignation in early 2022.
In April, before the violence erupted, Sudanese leaders were supposed to sign an agreement to return the country to its democratic transition, but the agreement was postponed due to outstanding disagreements.
Washington has previously said it supports the Sudanese people’s aspirations for peace and stability, as well as their demands to return to “civil authority”.
On Wednesday, Nuland said the US is looking at suitable targets for sanctions if its fighting rivals do not agree to a ceasefire and aid delivery.
“We now have the sanctions tool that allows us to continue to pressure them,” she said.
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