The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the commencement of negotiations in the city of Jeddah between representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The Foreign Ministry's statement indicated that these are preliminary talks, and that both Saudi Arabia and the United States have urged the parties to engage seriously in discussions to achieve the following goals: attaining an effective short-term ceasefire, facilitating access to urgent humanitarian assistance, restoring essential services, and establishing a timeline for comprehensive negotiations to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Both parties expressed their commitment to alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people, which includes reaching an agreement on security measures to facilitate access to urgent humanitarian aid and the restoration of essential services for those in need. They began reviewing a declaration of commitment to protecting civilians and facilitating and respecting humanitarian work in Sudan, and also started discussions on the security measures they need to take to ease the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid and restore necessary services in accordance with the declaration of principles.
Saudi Arabia and the United States welcomed the parties' commitment to a constructive approach based on mutual respect, urging each side to adhere to the existing ceasefire and refrain from any provocative actions on the ground to maintain a positive atmosphere for the current preliminary talks. The discussions began on May 7 and are set to continue over the following days with the hope of achieving an effective and temporary ceasefire to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.
