Envoys from both of Sudan’s warring factions met Monday for a third day of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to arrange for the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, but there was no sign the negotiations have made progress.
The parties have insisted they are only sitting across from each other to bring some relief to the humanitarian situation in the North African country and not to negotiate a truce.
Fighting in Khartoum as Mediators Seek End to Sudan Conflict
The talks, which began Saturday, are aimed at allowing aid agencies to access those who are wounded, hungry or displaced. The Saudi kingdom has already pledged that it will provide Sudan with $100 million’s worth of humanitarian aid.
Fighting erupted in Sudan in mid-April. After just a few weeks of fighting between the country’s military and a paramilitary force, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have been forced to flee from their homes, with many of the displaced seeking refuge in bordering countries.
The two sides — Sudan’s military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo — have not met since the fighting erupted April 15.
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Fragile cease-fire agreements have failed to end the conflict or even do much to reduce the violence.
Eyewitnesses in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, told VOA they heard renewed gunfire and an airstrike in the city Monday in and around the downtown area.
A Saudi official told Agence France-Presse Monday that the talks in Jeddah have yielded "no major progress” so far. The official said "a permanent cease-fire isn't on the table. Every side believes it is capable of winning the battle.”
The Sudan Tribune reported Sunday that the army negotiators have made three demands, including unconditional withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from Khartoum, an extension of a humanitarian truce, and the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese army within two years.
The newspaper said, "It's not clear how the RSF negotiators will respond to these demands."
WFP: Sudan Fighting Hampers Needed Food Aid
Sudanese citizens are watching the talks in Jeddah with a mix of hope and skepticism.
Sumeya Musa, who fled violence from Khartoum to Al Jazirah state, told VOA she hopes the talks produce a truce that will allow her to safely escape Sudan.
“Our hope from these talks is that the guns will be silenced, and we move out of this country. Practically, we are suffering. We just want to see airstrikes, bombing and guns to stop for a while,” she said.
The United Nations migration agency said recently that at least 334,000 people have been internally displaced by the fighting, in addition to the 100,000 who have fled the country. The U.N. refugee agency has warned the fighting could cause more than 800,000 to flee Sudan.
Most aid operations have been suspended or severely scaled back due to the lack of security. Several aid workers have been killed in the fighting.
Looting also has hampered aid operations.
The World Food Program said nearly 17,000 tons of food worth between $13 million and $14 million have been stolen from its warehouses across Sudan.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said recently it has launched an emergency appeal to support the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in its effort to deliver assistance to 200,000 people.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.