by Richard Sanders, Staff Writer
A peace conference aimed at ending the devastating armed conflict in Sudan has begun in Switzerland, despite the absence of army officials from the northeastern African nation.
Washington’s special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, announced on Wednesday that a delegation from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese national army, had arrived in Geneva to participate in the talks mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia.
“Our US delegation, and the collective international partners, technical experts, and Sudanese civil society, are still waiting on the SAF [Sudanese Armed Forces]. The world is watching,” Perriello stated.
Heavy fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF in mid-April last year. Thousands have since been killed and nearly 11 million people forced from their homes, the United Nations has reported, warning that the country is at “breaking point.” The humanitarian situation in Sudan has triggered what the UN has designated as the “world’s worst hunger crisis,” with more than half of the population facing acute hunger.
The Geneva talks have been convened to push the warring factions to lay down their arms and allow humanitarian access, according to a joint statement from the mediators, along with Switzerland, Egypt, the UAE, the African Union, and the UN, which are participating as observers.
The army had warned that it would boycott the summit unless paramilitary forces withdraw from civilian areas, as agreed at a previous US- and Saudi Arabia-sponsored summit in Jeddah late last year.
“Military operations will not stop without the withdrawal of every last militiaman from the cities and villages they have plundered and colonized,” Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
The RSF has consistently denied allegations of violence against civilians. In a statement on Tuesday, it said the arrival of its representatives in Geneva was a “powerful testament to our resolve and determination to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.”
The group urged the army to “adopt an independent stance in responding” to the US invitation and attend the negotiations. However, the RSF delegation was not present when the talks began on Wednesday, the BBC reported.
Perriello, who is leading the negotiations, has said direct mediation will be impossible without the army present.
“We are focused on ensuring parties comply with their Jeddah commitments and implementation. Belligerents must respect international humanitarian law and enable humanitarian assistance,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The envoy claimed that discussions on the first day had “already yielded concrete ideas” for compliance and execution of the Jeddah declaration commitments by the rival armies.