On Friday, the United States urged the Sudanese army to join the negotiations aimed at calming the devastating conflict in the country, which is facing an escalating humanitarian crisis.
The army has boycotted the ongoing talks in Geneva, Switzerland, which have entered their third day despite international calls for its participation.
U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello wrote on X on Friday, “The Rapid Support Forces are ready to begin talks here, and it is up to the Sudanese Armed Forces to decide to attend.”
Diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, the African Union, and the United Nations have attended the talks, which began earlier this week, and the Rapid Support Forces sent a delegation.
The Geneva talks come at a time when more people are facing severe hunger and displacement, and the number of civilian casualties is increasing.
Ceasefire Discussions
Negotiations aimed at halting the fighting in Sudan started in Geneva on Wednesday, but the army’s absence has significantly weakened the chances of reaching a solution to this crisis.
While the Rapid Support Forces accepted the invitation to participate in the talks, the Sudanese army expressed reservations about the mechanism of the invitation and disagreed with the United States regarding the participants.
The army stated that its absence from the talks was due to the failure to implement previous commitments to withdraw fighters from urban areas and facilitate the delivery of aid.
Saudi Arabia and the United States have tried over the past few months to bring the two sides together in negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire and discussing ways to reach a political solution without success.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, pushing the country to the brink of famine.
