Sudan’s army and warring paramilitary forces have signed an agreement to allow for humanitarian assistancebut for the respite and the cease-fire negotiations are still ongoing.
That’s what emerges from talks underway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, defined as “difficult” by an American diplomatic source quoted by the international media.
In the “declaration” the parties undertake to protect Sudanese civilians since the clashes that erupted on 15 April last, to let in humanitarian assistance, to allow the restoration of electricity, water and other basic services, to withdraw the security forces from hospitals and to organize a “respectful burial” of dead.
Negotiations are still ongoing to reach a new temporary truce to let in aid, with a proposal on the table to halt the fighting for 10 days, the US official said, on condition of anonymity.
”This it is not a ceasefire. This is an affirmation of their obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly with regards to the treatment of civilians and the need to create space for humanitarian workers to operate,” the official said.
“We cautiously hope that their willingness to sign this document will create a momentum that will force them to create space” to bring humanitarian aid, added the diplomat, admitting however that “the two sides are quite distant”.
The envoys of the warring generals – army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo – met on Saturday in Jeddah for “pre-negotiation talks” involving the United States and the United Nations. Senior United Nations aid official Martin Griffiths had outlined proposals in which the two sides would guarantee safe passage for humanitarian aid.
clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan
Millions of dollars worth of foodstuffs were looted in Khartoum, the United Nations World Food Program said. Meanwhile, the exodus of civilians continues. According to the World Organization for Migration (IOM), the total number of internally displaced people since April 15, 2023, when the clashes erupted, has risen to more than 700,000.
According to Unicef data, 82,000 children have fled to neighboring countries and another 368,000 are displaced within the country.
