Sudan army, RSF to resume peace talks on Sunday

Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to resume the peace talks to end the crisis in the country.

A senior Saudi diplomat said the peace talks will resume on Sunday.

The north African country’s crisis followed a power struggle between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military leader, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, al-Burhan’s deputy and commander of the RSF, a paramilitary group.

The fighting between the leaders started after a disagreement over the integration of the RSF into the military as part of the transition to civilian rule.

Following the heavy fighting and strikes in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, Saudi Arabia has been hosting a peace talk to secure a ceasefire deal between the parties involved.

Saudi had also invited al-Burhan to Friday’s Arab League summit in Jeddah.

The Saudi diplomat said Burhan was invited to the summit because he is head of Sudan’s sovereign council which was to ensure a planned transition to civilian rule before the conflict sparked.

“We haven’t yet received the names of the delegation, but we are expecting Sudan to be represented in the summit,’’ the diplomat said.

During a meeting on Thursday, the two sides had agreed to a “declaration of principles’’ to protect civilians and grant access to humanitarian activities.

Despite the agreement, the two sides have not yet ceased the fighting as clashes and strikes were still ongoing in Khartoum and its neighbouring regions.

The Saudi envoy said the peace talks are expected to put an end to the conflict and also pave the way for a civilian government in Sudan.

“The nature of the conflict affects the dialogue. Yet I found a very good spirit from both sides,” the Saudi diplomat said.

The diplomat added that both sides have not shown any sign of compromise in public but the RSF has promised to uphold the agreement reached during Thursday’s meeting.

Sudan’s army is yet to comment on the agreement.

Since the violent clash between the two groups started, many civilians have been caught in the middle of the crossfire.

Hundreds have died and thousands have sustained injuries. Residents have been stranded at home and in shelters without food or water, and those who have managed to flee have done that under extreme circumstances.