The United States announced on Tuesday that it has invited the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces to peace talks in Switzerland in August, aimed at ending the conflict in Sudan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in a statement that Washington "has called on the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to participate in discussions about a ceasefire, mediated by the United States, starting on August 14 in Switzerland." He added that the talks, which are also being facilitated by Saudi Arabia, will include the African Union, Egypt, the UAE, and the United Nations as observers. Blinken clarified that the talks "aim to achieve an end to violence throughout the country, allow humanitarian aid to reach all those in need, and establish a strong monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure the implementation of any agreement." He also noted that, if held, the talks would not "address broader political issues."
In response to a query regarding the prospects for the success of the upcoming talks, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that he could not "evaluate the likelihood of reaching an agreement but we simply want to bring both sides back to the negotiating table." He added, "We hope that the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces come to the table for negotiations, and that this is an opportunity for finally achieving a ceasefire," clarifying that the conflicting parties have not yet responded to the invitation.
Hamidti Welcomes Invitation
In contrast, Hamidti expressed his welcome for Blinken's invitation to resume negotiations with the army on August 14. He wrote on his X platform account, "I welcome the invitation announced by Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, and I announce our participation in the upcoming ceasefire talks on August 14, 2024, in Switzerland." He added, "I appreciate the efforts made by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland in organizing these important deliberations."
In recent days, initial discussions have taken place in Geneva between the warring parties in Sudan and the United Nations envoy, Algerian diplomat Ramtane Lamamra, focusing on humanitarian aid and civilian protection. Since April 2023, Sudan has been experiencing a war between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, nicknamed Hamidti. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and has caused a significant humanitarian crisis. Previous rounds of negotiations held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have not yielded results. The war has forced more than 11 million people to flee both within Sudan and across borders, according to the United Nations, and has destroyed infrastructure, pushing the country to the brink of famine. Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes by deliberately targeting civilians.
