NAIROBI — The Sudanese government announced on Friday that it has dispatched a delegation led by the Minister of Minerals, Mohammed Bashir Abu Namo, to negotiate with U.S. officials over a proposed ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The talks, set to take place in Geneva on August 14, are the latest international effort to mediate the more than year-long fighting that has plunged the country into chaos.
The Sudanese delegation arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday to meet with American officials and discuss conditions for their participation in the Geneva talks, according to a Sudanese diplomat based in Saudi Arabia.
This comes after the U.S. extended an invitation to Sudan’s warring factions to engage in peace negotiations last month.
The RSF, which has been vying for control of Sudan, promptly accepted the invitation, signaling a willingness to engage in the discussions.
However, Sudan’s foreign ministry, aligned with the regular army, indicated that further discussions were necessary before any formal negotiations could begin. “Any peace initiative must recognize, invite, and consult the Sudanese state,” said General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s de facto leader and army chief, in a statement issued in late July.
Al-Burhan stressed that the Sudanese government would only consider disarmament once it had purged the country of what he described as “every conspirator and every rebel.”
The upcoming talks in Geneva, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, will include the participation of several key international stakeholders, including the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Nations, which will attend as observers.
Alessandra Velluci, a spokeswoman for the United Nations based in Geneva, noted that while the talks were not a UN initiative, the organization welcomes any efforts that could contribute to resolving the crisis in Sudan.
The conflict, which began in [specific month and year], has devastated the country, leading to widespread displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.
International observers are cautiously optimistic that the Geneva talks could pave the way for a long-awaited ceasefire, though significant obstacles remain in bringing the warring parties to a mutual agreement.
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