It’s time to silence the guns. Talks on Sudan begin in Geneva without evidence

To the tune of “It’s time to silence the guns”; Yesterday, Wednesday, the United States called on the Sudanese army to join the cease-fire negotiations​​​​ that began in Geneva, Switzerland, with the direct participation of the Rapid Support Forces.

The talks are expected to last 10 days under American and Saudi sponsorship, and in the presence of the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Nations as observers.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been immersed in a war between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti ), which has put the country on the brink of famine.

When the talks started and Al-Burhan was not present, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken took the initiative to call him on the phone and urge him to join.

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Blinken “reaffirmed the need to participate” in his call with Al-Burhan.

Patel said Blinken told him of the “urgent need” for both parties to “end the war and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Sudanese victims.”

An opening session with our international and technical partners representing Switzerland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union, and the United Nations. We focus on ensuring that parties adhere to their Jeddah commitments and… pic.twitter.com/RfsYggaEaN

– US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello (@USSESudan) August 14, 2024

The US special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, wrote on the X platform, “It’s time to silence the guns!” Shortly after the opening of the meeting, which was held in an undisclosed location for security reasons.

All negotiation rounds held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia failed.

At the end of July, Washington called the warring parties to a new round of negotiations in Switzerland to stop the devastating war that has been going on for almost 16 months.

The talks aim to expand the scope of humanitarian aid delivery and create a monitoring and investigation mechanism to ensure the implementation of any agreement.

While the Rapid Support Forces accepted the invitation to participate in the talks, the Sudanese authorities expressed their doubts about their method and expressed their disagreement with the United States regarding the partners.