Sudanese government accepts US call conditionally

According to the official Sudanese news agency SUNA, the Sudanese government announced in a statement that it had responded to the US call for negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been clashing in Sudan for more than 15 months.

The statement noted that the response sent to the US administration stated, "The Sudanese government is open to any negotiations aimed at ending the RSF's occupation of cities and villages, lifting the blockade, and opening aid routes."

Emphasizing that preliminary discussions with the US regarding the agenda, participants, and other details are necessary before the negotiations, the statement underscored that the talks should be based on the agreement reached in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The statement noted that "negotiations cannot begin without fulfilling the conditions specified in the Jeddah Declaration, such as the (RSF's) withdrawal from citizens' homes."

Stating that the RSF carries out attacks in cities and villages every day, it was expressed that "sanctions should be imposed on the rebels and their supporters instead of new negotiations."

RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had welcomed the US call and agreed to participate in the negotiations.

US CALL TO PARTICIPATE IN NEGOTIATIONS

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on July 23 that he had invited the Sudanese army and the RSF to Switzerland on August 14 for ceasefire negotiations.

Pointing to the importance of the Jeddah negotiation process and the need for it to be continued, Blinken shared information that the ceasefire negotiations would be conducted by the US and Saudi Arabia, with the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Nations participating as observers.

JEDDAH DECLARATION

The "Jeddah Declaration" was signed on May 11, 2023, as a result of the talks held between the parties in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to stop the clashes between the army and the RSF in Sudan.

In the declaration signed through the mediation of the US and Saudi Arabia, it was stated that the Sudanese army and the RSF would refrain from any attacks that would harm civilians, and it was emphasized that the interests of the Sudanese people were a priority for both sides.

The Sudanese army withdrew from the talks in Jeddah in July, citing repeated violations and the RSF's failure to vacate civilian residential areas and public facilities in the capital, Khartoum.

Saudi Arabia, the US, and IGAD announced on October 29, 2023, that the delegations of the warring parties had resumed talks. This round of negotiations also reached a stalemate and was postponed indefinitely on December 4, 2023.

CIVIL WAR IN SUDAN

The power struggle between the army and the RSF, which staged a joint coup against the government formed with the participation of civilians after the 30-year rule of Omar al-Bashir was toppled by a popular uprising, has been ongoing for more than a year.

In the war that began in mid-April 2023 and continues in most of Sudan's states, the army maintains control in the northern and eastern states, while the RSF appears to be influential in the western and southern states.

The Jeddah talks mediated by Saudi Arabia and the US to end the war, the peace initiative for Sudan's neighboring countries led by Egypt, the efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa, and the talks held in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, have all remained inconclusive.

According to the UN, more than 18,800 people have lost their lives, approximately 10 million people have been displaced, and more than 25 million people are in need of humanitarian aid as a result of the clashes in Sudan, which is experiencing the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.