Geneva, 24 August 2024 (TDI): Talks on the devastating war in Sudan ended Friday without a ceasefire but with progress on securing assistance access on two key routes into a country facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army under the de facto ruler Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The brutal war has forced one in five people to flee their homes, while tens of thousands have perished. Over 25 million across Sudan — more than half its population — face acute hunger.
The US opened negotiations in Switzerland on August 14 aimed at easing the human suffering and achieving a enduring ceasefire.
While an RSF delegation showed up, the Sudanese armed forces were unhappy with the format and did not participate, though they were in telephone contact with the mediators.
The discussions were co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the Egypt, African Union, the United Arab Emirates and the UN completing the so-called Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group (ALPS).
“The ALPS Group secured guarantees from both sides to the war to provide unhindered and safe humanitarian access through two important routes— the Dabbah Road with access through the north and west from Port Sudan and the Western border crossing in Darfur at Adre,” a concluding statement said.
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Trucks loaded with aid were driving toward the Zamzam displacement camp in Darfur, where famine has been declared, it added.
“These routes must remain safe and open so we can increase assistance into Darfur and start to turn the tide against famine. Food and starvation should not be used as a weapon of war,” the group said.
